Amid a sweltering summer in which scores of long-standing heat records have fallen across the Northern Hemisphere, Europe may have just registered its highest temperature ever observed.
A weather station in Syracuse (Siracusa), Sicily recorded a blistering temperature of 119.8 degrees on Wednesday which would establish a new European heat record if verified by the World Meteorological Organization. The previous verified European record of 118.4 degrees, was established in Greece on July 10, 1977.
The extreme heat comes during what will likely be the most intense and lasting heat wave of this summer for the island, according to the Sicilian Agrometeorological Information Service (SAIS), which operates the station that posted the record-breaking temperature.
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Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist who tracks weather records around the globe, told the Capital Weather Gang that the weather station that recorded the temperature used high-quality instrumentation and is well-maintained.
Syracuse is a city in southeast Sicily, known for its ancient ruins, and home to about 120,000 people. Excessively hot conditions covered much of the island on Wednesday, with widespread high temperatures exceeding the century mark in its central and southern areas.
SAIS said temperatures will likely not drop off until winds cool the island on Friday.
Conditions for the heat wave began earlier this week. A zone of upper-level high pressure strengthened over southern Europe, the Mediterranean and northern Africa, creating a heat dome over the region.
Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, experienced its highest temperature on record Tuesday, also soaring to about 120 degrees. Reuters reported power outages as more people used air conditioners and added extra stress on the electricity systems.
The heat probably intensified devastating wildfires in Algeria Tuesday that killed 42 people.
The heat dome is forecast to remain parked over southern Europe and northern Africa into early next week, peaking in intensity Thursday and Friday before slowly easing.
Italian officials issued serious health warnings and wildfire alerts due to the heat. Spain issued a special weather warning anticipating extreme temperatures this Friday and Saturday.
Extreme heat waves have plagued southern Europe this summer. Earlier this month, numerous locations in Greece set record highs during its worst heat wave in more than three decades. The heat waves have helped stoke devastating wildfires that have destroyed tens of thousands of acres in Greece, Italy, Sicily, Tunisia and Turkey.
As global temperatures rise, scientists predict these types of extreme weather events will become more common. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report stated climate change has increased the frequency and severity of heat extremes and drought notably in the Mediterranean. The report projects heat waves and dry conditions will continue to increase in the region, increasing the risk of fires.
