Serbia, Bosnia, Romania: Weather conditions in the Balkan countries will range from “dangerous” to “very dangerous”. Germany experienced the hottest day of the year on Tuesday. Italy is expecting a scorching Assumption Day.
The Serbian National Meteorological Service (RHMZ) warned on Monday of a week-long heatwave with temperatures reaching up to 41 degrees.
“During the entire week from August 12 to 18, the weather will be very hot with maximum temperatures of 35 to 41 degrees C,” the RHMZ portal says.
The alert states that weather conditions will range from dangerous to very dangerous and will be hazardous to people and animals.
According to the RHMZ portal, the worst of the heat wave will hit the southern regions of the country.
Romania: Orange alert for heatwave until Thursday
The heat wave is back in most of Romania and half of the country is feeling the heat again.
An orange heatwave alert and a yellow alert are in effect in different regions of the country until Thursday evening, but meteorologists warn that the “burning oven” sensation will last all week.
People in the south and west of the country are having a particularly hard time coping with the heat:
Extreme heat and drought: Corn crops devastated in Bosnia
A severe heatwave and drought devastated the corn harvest in Bosnia and Herzegovina this summer.
Farmers in the grain-growing region of Bijeljina estimate that between 40 and 60 percent of their crops have been damaged this year.
The country has been hit by three heatwaves this year and all farmers can do is watch their corn crops dry up in the fields.
Germany experiences hottest day of the year
According to provisional data from the German Weather Service (DWD), the hottest day of the year on Tuesday was marked by a maximum temperature of 36.5 degreesThis value was measured in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate, said a DWD meteorologist. The previous record on Monday with 35.7 degrees – also according to still provisional data – was thus beaten in the same place.
It was also particularly hot in Baden-Württemberg. Measurements in Waghäusel-Kirrlach showed 36.3 degrees. In Andernach in Rhineland-Palatinate, the DWD recorded 36.2 degrees, according to provisional data.
Italy set to see record heat during Ferragosto holiday
After an extreme heatwave that pushed temperatures to over 40°C in parts of Italy last weekend, scorching temperatures are also expected to peak just before the Ferragosto holiday on August 15, the feast of the Assumption.
Sardinia and Sicily are expected to be the regions most affected by rising temperatures throughout the week.
Although temperatures remain below the 2023 record, health ministry data shows they are abnormally widespread across the country.
On Monday, around 17 cities, including Rome, Palermo and Florence, were placed on red alert by the Health Ministry. That number rose to 19 on Tuesday and is expected to rise further to 22 on Wednesday, or a record number of red alerts for the country.
This is the highest level of heat alert, which means a potential risk to the health of the entire population, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and people with existing health conditions.
Additional sources • Tagesschau, adaptation: Serge Duchêne