A recent heat wave in Greece has left many locals and tourists searching for ways to cool down, leaving some businesses with no choice other than to stop their employees from working outdoors.
This measure, along with holding kindergarten classes indoors and keeping pregnant women and seniors off work, have been some of the precautions put into place to protect people from heat, according to ABC News.
Recent heat wave
The heat has been so intense that authorities were forced to close the Acropolis of Athens Wednesday, per The Associated Press. The attraction was closed for several hours beginning at midday.
Tourists visiting the Parthenon temple had to line up early in the morning while the Red Cross distributed water bottles to keep the visitors cool.
“We got it done and got out quick, and now we’re going to some air conditions and some more libation and enjoy the day,” Toby Dunlap, who had traveled from Pennsylvania to tour the Acropolis, told The Associated Press. “But it’s hot up there, it really is. If you don’t come prepared, you’re going to sweat.”
According to Reuters, high temperatures have impacted Greece since June, accompanied by hundreds of wildfires. Meteorologists reportedly said that temperatures will not decrease by much before the month ends. Water shortages have accompanied a season of little to no rain.
Adamantia Krassa, a municipal street cleaner, told Reuters that she sometimes gets headaches, blurry vision and dizziness from the heat. “In such high temperatures, I believe we should stop working after a certain hour, pause and then resume,” she said.
Last month, at least six tourists died as a result of the high temperatures. One, according to The New York Times, was Michael Mosley — a renowned medical journalist and British documentary maker. He disappeared while going on a walk on the island of Symi.
The cause of such extreme heat lies, in part, in Africa’s southwesterly winds. “The ministry for civil protection and climate change said southwesterly winds from Africa would bring temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) at least until July 19,” per ABC News. The intense heat continues after the hottest June on record both in Greece and globally.
Temperatures are soaring in southern Europe
Temperatures in the rest of Europe are skyrocketing as well. Two firefighters died in Italy after working to put out fires, according to The Associated Press, and firefighters in western Turkey brought another wildfire under control after several hours.
The government in Albania rescheduled working hours for civil servants, allowing some to work from home as temperatures climb. North Macedonia endured dozens of wildfires, one of which extended over nearly 30 kilometers, or 21 miles.
“Firefighting aircraft from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania and Turkey responded to the country’s call for assistance,” reported The Associated Press.
Spain has endured temperatures as high as 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 Fahrenheit), per The Guardian, and Italy has extended red alerts to several cities as the heat grows more intense. Croatia has also experienced an extended heat wave; a forest fire ignited near Trogir, a town on the Adriatic coast, before being brought under control by over 70 firefighters and three water-bombing planes.