Italy has issued a red alert due to the heat in all 27 cities
The Italian Ministry of Health has issued the highest, red, heat alert for all 27 cities covered by the national monitoring system. The warnings are in effect from Trieste in the northeast of the country to Palermo in Sicily and apply to the entire population, not just the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, according to France 24.
Authorities have urged residents and tourists to avoid direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day, stay indoors whenever possible, and drink plenty of water. Due to the heat, the ministries of tourism and culture have extended the evening hours of operation for a number of landmarks, including Rome’s Colosseum and Pantheon. Fans with water mist have been installed at the entrances to the Colosseum, and additional medical stations have been set up.
Rome has also opened Tiberis, a free municipal “city beach” on the banks of the Tiber River in the Marconi district. Visitors can enjoy swimming pools, water fountains, and shaded areas there.
For more breaking news, follow the UA.News Telegram channel.
The extreme heat has also affected other European countries. In Dolné Plachtince, Slovakia, a new national temperature record of 42.2 degrees was set. Due to low water levels in the Danube, Slovakia’s largest hydroelectric power plant in Gabčíkovo shut down seven of its eight turbines. Since the beginning of the year, it has generated 15% less electricity than during the same period last year.
In Austria, in the village of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg near the border with Slovakia, the temperature reached a national record of 41.2 degrees. According to GeoSphere Austria, precipitation from January 1 to June 30 was 27% below the long-term average, and some eastern regions received only half the usual amount of precipitation.
In Hungary, due to a prolonged drought and record-low water levels in the Danube, operators of the country’s only nuclear power plant reduced its output to approximately 10% of normal levels. Authorities have urged large industrial consumers and households to reduce their electricity consumption during evening peak demand hours. In the Var region of southeastern France, firefighters continued to battle a major wildfire that had scorched more than 60 square kilometers. According to authorities, the fire was no longer spreading but could flare up again.
