According to Meteoalarm, a group of European meteorological services, temperatures during the current heat wave are set to hit anything up to 104F (40C) in the coming days, leading to warnings issued to tourists and locals in Southern Europe.

Southern Europe swelters in unusually severe heat wave

As reported by the Guardian, the most dangerous areas hit by extreme heat include Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and Croatia, but Spain is also getting its fair share of toasty weather. Tourists and residents are being advised by authorities to take note of the dangers involved and have added that they could be introducing “extraordinary measures.” What these measures could be was not reported.

Examples of that extreme heat right now include Athens at 100F (38C), Rome at 102F (39C) and Seville in Spain at 106F (41C).

Visitors should take all necessary precautions in the heat of the day

While it would obviously apply to anyone visiting Europe’s southern shores, for those U.K. residents planning a European vacation, Abta has launched a warning to tourists in the worst-affected areas. They advise tourists to take all necessary precautions during the hottest part of the day to avoid sunstroke, dehydration and other problems caused by overexposure to the hot sunshine and its accompanying high levels of humidity.

Visitors are being advised to particularly drink plenty of water, especially the young and the elderly. Abta said visitors should also follow the example of locals at their European destination by keeping out of the sun at midday in countries currently affected by the heat wave.

As noted by the Independent, Italian authorities have dubbed the Extreme Weather conditions “Lucifer” and have advised residents and visitors in affected areas to only travel if it is essential.

In Poland, warnings of potential breakdowns in infrastructure have been given. There have recently been forest fires on the French Riviera and in Sicily, which led to many tourists needing evacuation. Both Portugal and Spain have also experienced widespread forest fires. With the extreme heat, there is also a strong possibility of more fires in the coming days.

Researchers warn of consequences of global warming

According to a report by Phys.org, researchers are warning that unless global warming is reined in, deaths caused by extreme weather conditions in southern Europe could increase from recent figures of around 3,000 people per year up to a massive 152,000 by the end of the century.

Researchers predict that deaths from heat waves particularly are likely to increase by 5,400 percent. However there are other risks involved, where they estimate wildfires could increase fatalities by 138 percent, deaths from coastal floods could go up by 3,780 percent and deaths caused by river floods could increase by 54 percent.

On a slightly more “cheerful” note, they did say deaths caused by cold waves are likely to decline by around 98 percent.

With the current heat wave now in its fourth day, and likely to carry on until Wednesday next week, the best advice is to stay indoors in the hottest part of the day and drink plenty of water. Anyone as lucky as the writer – living in southern Spain – can also huddle over their air conditioner during the hottest hours of the day.
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