Southern Europe bakes in over 40C heat as Spain declares first official heatwave of the year

Southern Europe has been sweltering amid an unrelenting heatwave , as countries including Spain have been baking in temperatures topping 40C.

Spaniards experienced their first official heatwave of the year on Thursday. Millions are expected to struggle under the scorching heat at least through Saturday before feeling any relief.

While six regions in Spain have been put on high alert, the hottest area is likely to be the southern Guadalquivir River basin, where thermometers could reach 44C.

The soaring temperatures have arrived in southern Europe due to hot air travelling across the Mediterranean from northern Africa, forecasters have said.

However, Spanish authorities and experts have also cited climate change as contributing to the climbing temperatures. It is thought that the effects of climate change, combined with the typical harsh summer sun, is to make medieval cites such as Sevilla, Toledo, and Granada, bake.

The hottest year for Spain was in 2022 since it started keeping records in 1961, with 2023 coming in as the second hottest year.

Although Spring this year was relatively bearable, millions of Spaniards will now be sweltering again under dry winds scorching many parts of the country.

Warnings for people to keep protected against the unbearable heat follow authorities in Greece being forced to close the Acropolis for several hours on Wednesday. The ancient site in the Greek capital only recently closed last month due to the extreme heat.

This time, temperatures in the country again touched 43C.

Meanwhile, Italy has had to put 14 cities under the highest level of alert, which the health ministry said will further extend to 17 Italian cities on Friday. The intense heatwave is forecasted to continue until the end of the week.

Serbia has also struggled to stay cool, with its state power company reporting record consumption due to the use of air conditioning.

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