Northern Hemisphere begins new week of heat wave – rts.ch

According to experts, in Europe, global warming is progressing twice as fast as the global average.

In Spain, the Meteorological Center on Sunday issued an orange warning for Monday, warning of temperatures of 38 to 42 degrees in large areas of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands, as well as a red warning (extreme risk) for parts of Andalusia on Monday and Aragon, Catalonia and Mallorca on Tuesday (42 to 44 degrees).

The effects of this extreme heat have already been felt in the Canary Islands on the island of La Palma, where the fire, still active, devastated 5,000 hectares of land this weekend. He also forced 4,000 people to evacuate.

In Italy, 16 cities are on red alert across the country, with the mercury at 36/37°C but temperatures expected to exceed 40°. Temperatures of up to 48 degrees are expected in Sardinia at the start of the week.

More than 15,000 pilgrims and tourists braved the heat to hear Pope Francis’ traditional Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Vatican gendarmerie said. Among them is François Mbemba, a 29-year-old Congolese priest. He says: “This heat continues into the night and we have trouble sleeping. And we, dressed in black, are sweating like hell.”

At the Vatican, pilgrims braved the heat. [Gregorio Borgia – Keystone]

In Romania, the temperature on Monday will be around 39 degrees. In Greece, where temperatures are expected to drop slightly, the Acropolis of Athens is closed to the public from 1:00pm to 5:00pm local time on Sunday. Local authorities urged people to be careful and warned of a high fire risk.

>> Read More: “It’s the Furnace”: A heat wave sets in around the world

Fires are still raging in California

In the United States, much of the south of the country found itself again under the influence of a heat wave on Sunday, from Florida (southeast) to California (west) through Texas (south). Weather Services, which predicts many temperature records.

In one of the hottest places on the planet, the famous Death Valley in California, the thermometer showed 51 degrees Celsius on Saturday evening and we expect a high of 54 degrees Celsius in the next few hours.

In addition to high temperatures, Southern California is burning, with several violent fires still ongoing, which have already destroyed more than 3,000 hectares and led to evacuations. According to the state fire department, the fire is “only 10% contained”, raising fears that the situation could worsen.

In Florida, the city of Miami issued the first “extreme heat” warning in its history. “Prepare for oppressive heat,” the municipality warned on Twitter.

Deadly floods and fires

Other parts of the United States are at risk of severe weather. According to the National Weather Service, “Severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding are possible in many places, especially and unfortunately in New England, which is already saturated.”

Flash flooding in a county north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killed four people Saturday and left three people missing Sunday, officials said.

In Canada, more than ten million hectares have already burned this year, more than the country already knows, according to a report that was tentatively on Saturday with 906 fires still active, of which 570 are considered uncontrollable. Statistics from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC).

>> Read about it: Fires in Canada have burned more than 10 million hectares

Officials said the country’s second firefighter has died after being injured battling the mega-blaze. The first one lost his life two days ago.

A sign warns visitors of Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, California. [John Locher / AP Photo – Keystone]

Asia was also affected

Japan issued heat stroke warnings for millions of people living in 20 of its 47 prefectures on Sunday as temperatures neared record levels.

The country is also grappling with torrential rains that have killed at least eight people, including a man who was found dead in a flooded car in the north on Saturday.

In South Korea, heavy rains have left at least 37 people dead and nine missing as rescuers battled to free people trapped in flooded tunnels over the past few days.

>> Read again: 37 people have died due to floods and landslides in South Korea

China’s meteorological services issued several warnings, predicting temperatures to reach 45°C in the semi-desert region of Xinjiang and 39°C in the southern part of Guangxi.

The World Meteorological Organization recently recalled that heatwaves are one of the worst weather phenomena. Last summer, in Europe alone, more than 60,000 deaths were caused by extreme heat, according to a recent study.

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