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At least five dead as heatwave christened 'Lucifer' continues to cause temperatures to hit 110F across southern Europe

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4763544/At-five-dead-heatwave-christened-Lucifer.html

At least five people have died in the deadly heatwave engulfing southern Europe, it has been confirmed, with temperatures rising above 109F in several countries, including Italy, Spain and Croatia.

The deaths in Italy and Romania have been attributed to the extreme conditions in the past five days, and the heatwave has been christened 'Lucifer' in Italy.

In the Italian island Sardinia, the mercury hit a huge 110F this afternoon. 

The latest victim was a woman whose car was swept away overnight by an avalanche of water and mud as humid conditions near the Alpine ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo broke into torrential rain.

That tragedy follows the deaths on Thursday of two pensioners, a 79-year-old woman and an 82-year-old man, who were caught up in wildfires in, respectively, the central region of Abruzzo and near Matera in the south of the country.

In Romania, two deaths were linked to the weather, including a farmworker who collapsed after working in fields in the heat at Mogosesti in the northeast of the country. 

The heatwave has caused billions of euros worth of crop damage, with Italy hit heavily by wildfires.

Hospital admissions have spiked by 15 to 20 percent in Italy, and people who travel to the affected countries have been urged to show extreme caution.

In Italy, humidity and other factors are making it feel much hotter with the so-called 'perceived' temperature in Campania, the region around Naples, estimated at a broiling 131F yesterday.

In Rome, tourists have been risking recently-introduced fines for splashing in the Eternal City's fountains to cool off.

But there has yet to be any sign of visitors to southern Europe's summer hotspots being deterred by the rising trend in temperatures.

Tourists were queueing once more Saturday outside Florence's Uffizi museum, which was forced to close Friday after its air conditioning broke down because of a lack of water from the dried up River Arno.

Health authorities in France have warned citizens to be particularly aware of the risks faced by the sick and the elderly.

Scientists meanwhile warned that deaths due to extreme weather in Europe could increase fifty-fold from an estimated 3,000 per year recently to 152,000 by the end of this century - if global warming is not reined in.

Southern Europe will suffer most and heatwaves would account for 99 percent of the deaths, according to research conducted for the European Commission and published in The Lancet Planetary Health.

The conclusions were questioned by Korean peers of the researchers who suggested humans would become less vulnerable to extreme weather with experience of it.

Meteo France forecaster Frederic Nathan said he was sure recent heatwaves reflected global warning.

'We have always had them but their length and intensity has notched up since the 1950s and 60s and they are increasingly coming earlier or later.

'If you look at records for France, the vast majority of new records being set are for high temperatures. Record cold is becoming increasingly rare.'

Scientist warned last week that large parts of South Asia, home to a fifth of the world's population, could become unbearably hot by the end of this century.

Spain's national weather service today issued an emergency warning for high temperatures in 31 of the country's 50 provinces.

Weather warning website MeteoAlarm has issued warnings of 'dangerous' conditions in  11 countries in Europe, including - as well as Italy, Spain and Croatia - parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Montenegro.

With peak temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius in much of Italy, a total of 26 major towns and cities were on the health ministry's maximum heat alert. 

Today, Seville in Spain and some areas of the Italian island of Sardinia can expect temperatures around 109F, while Novska in Croatia is predicted an afternoon high of 104F.

The Italian city of Florence saw temperatures were exceeding 104F, however 'perceived temperature' - determined by temperature, humidity and wind and has been reported at more than 122F.

In Romania, 'red alerts' have been issued after meteorologists have forecast 108F in western parts of the country. 

Earlier this week, Split airport in Croatia recorded 108F, not far from the country's highest ever temperature of 109F in 1981.

High humidity in the north and hot winds from Africa in the south are making the perceived temperatures seem even hotter on beaches across the Mediterranean. 

Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples said: 'This extreme heat will have caught some holidaymakers out and they are advised to stay out of the midday sun abroad from 10am to 2pm.

'They should stay hydrated and would be advised to stay close to the coast and swimming pools to cool down.'

Earlier this week a wildfire claimed the life of a 79-year-old woman, found dead in a field beside her home in Sant'Omero in the central region of Abruzzo of Italy, who had been overcome by flames that engulfed two hectares of surrounding farmland. 

Holiday makers and locals alike have taken to Twitter to make lighthearted complaints about the high temperatures.

User @_ggina_ wrote 'picked Corsica cus I wanted a bit of sun but didn't realise that meant a 43 degree heatwave called lucifer, call me g the crisp in a week :)'

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/07/heat-plagues-southeastern-europe-170701083153369.html

Warm weather across parts of Europe is not a new story. What is new are the regions that are experiencing the extreme heat.

In late June, much of Western Europe was dealing with a heatwave that extended well into the UK. For days temperatures easily reached 8-12 degrees above average.

As June ended, the weather pattern in the west broke down, and we are now seeing the strongest area of high pressure moving to the east. What high pressure in the summer tends to do is to keep the atmosphere relatively stable, cloud free and warm. This is now what much of the Balkan Peninsula has been experiencing, as the air mass lingers day after day.

Across Greece, authorities cautioned the public to stay indoors over the last several days. Temperatures registered well into the low-40s on Friday across much of southern Greece. 

But it hasn't only been Greece in the grips of a heatwave; Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, and Croatia are just a few of the southeastern European countries that have been experiencing temperatures well over 10 degrees above average. In Turkey, the cities of Antalya and Akhisar recorded highs of 45C on Friday. 

Cities in Romania and Italy on Friday also produced some impressive high temperatures; Bucharest and Bari both reached 38C, while dozens of cities across the region easily recorded temps well into the mid-30s.

Saturday and Sunday are expected to be equally hot, if not hotter, across much of the region, with Athens, Greece, expecting a high temperature of 43C Sunday.

But there is good news in the weather forecast, as a weak area of low pressure is expected to move through the region starting on Monday, bringing a change of wind direction along with some clouds and showers to help cool things off.