According to preliminary indications from local meteorologists, Italy may have just experienced the highest temperature in European history. Not surprisingly, the cause of the heatwave has been identified as Lucifer.
On Wednesday (Aug. 11), temperatures in Syracuse, a city on the coast of the Italian island of Sicily, reached 119.85 degrees Fahrenheit (48.8 degrees Celsius).
If the World Meteorological Organization confirms the temperature, it will beat the existing European record of 118.4 F (48 C) recorded in Athens in 1977.
According to the Associated Press, the measurement comes amid a blistering heatwave that has dominated the Mediterranean for more than a week, fueling deadly flames that have burned houses and lost lives in Italy, Greece, Algeria, and Turkey.
The possible temperature record "worries us," according to Syracuse Mayor Francesco Italia, who spoke to the daily La Repubblica.
"We are devastated by the fires. And our ecosystem one of the richest and most precious in Europe is at risk. We are in full emergency." Francesco Italia said.
Heatwave "Lucifer" Dominates Italy
An anticyclone is an area of high pressure that forces trapped air to sink that developed over North Africa, according to meteorologists, causing the heat wave in southern Italy. Italian media have given the anticyclone the nickname Lucifer.
As it approaches Rome, Lucifer is expected to continue northward through Italy, causing scorching temperatures.
According to Italian official statistics, firefighters have battled 44,442 wildfires since June 15, up from 26,158 last year. On Wednesday night until Thursday morning (Aug. 12), Italy's fire and rescue agency tweeted that its firefighters had battled more than 500 fires in Sicily and Calabria alone, using five planes to extinguish the flames from above.
Four people have died because of the fires in southern Italy in the last week, including a 77-year-old shepherd discovered dead in the Calabria area (the "toe" of Italy's "boot"). According to the Associated Press, the guy died while finding safety in a farmhouse with his herd.
The wildfires ravaged other regions of southern Europe and North Africa, burning numerous towns in Greece, and causing hundreds of people to flee. After the death toll from forest fires soared to 65, Algeria's president proclaimed a three-day mourning period yesterday (Aug. 11).
Also read: Tropical Depression Fred: Southern Florida Brace For Flooding Due to Torrential Rain
Wildfires in Turkey Caused by Extreme Heatwaves
According to Live Science, a coal-fired power station in Turkey has been evacuated because of Turkey's raging wildfires due to the heatwaves. The flames are being fueled by extreme heat, low humidity, and high winds which have killed eight people and devastated forests. Experts think the Mediterranean Basin is one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change concerns.
A major study released by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Monday (Aug. 9) issued a harsh warning that Earth was on track to surpass the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming due to climate change over the next 20 years.
The study, dubbed a "code red for humanity" by UN (United Nations) Secretary-General António Guterres, warns that as the globe heats, catastrophic heat waves, droughts, and floods will become more regular.
Also read: Mendocino is Running Out of Water Supply as Town Suffers From Worst Drought in History
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