Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Beware Lucifer
Tourist warned as temps at top resorts soar to 46C
TOURISTS heading to some of Europe’s most popular holiday spots are to be hit by a hellish heatwave dubbed Lucifer this weekend.
Severe weather warnings have been issued for a number of locations that travellers flock to each summer, as highs of 46C are expected during two of the busiest travel days of the year.
Alerts have been issued for 26 European cities as a heatwave from Africa sweeps across the Mediterranean, with the mercury expected to continue to soar till at least Monday.
Temperatures in Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Croatia have already topped 40C in recent days.
At least two people have died from the heat, one in Romania and one in Poland, while many more have been taken to hospital suffering from sunstroke and other heat-related conditions.
It comes as British travellers face further delays at airports amid tighter security controls for those from coun- tries outside the Schengen Area. The scorching spell is forecast to peak this weekend, with temperatures of 46C or higher in Italy and parts of the Balkans.
Temperatures are expected to hit 41C in Seville, Spain; Rome will hit 39C; while Athens is bracing its citizens for 38C. It comes as the mercury in the UK will struggle to reach 20C, with sunny spells interspersed by showers.
Meteoalarm, a network of national meteorological services in Europe, warned of “very dangerous” weather due to high temperatures in 11 countries.
The organisation has issued its highest-grade red warnings for countries including Italy, Serbia, Hungary,
Romania, Croatia and Poland. It urged people to “follow any advice given by authorities”, adding that “extraordinary measures” may be introduced.
A spokeswoman for the UK’S ABTA travel trade association said: “With very high temperatures being recorded across Europe, holidaymakers are advised to make sure they take sensible precautions to avoid sunstroke and other serious problems that can result from over-exposure to heat and powerful sunshine. Holidaymakers, particularly the young or elderly, should ensure they stay hydrated by drinking plenty of bottled water.”
She added: “British travellers [should] follow the lead of the locals by staying out of the sun at the middle of the day when it is at its peak, and follow any advice issued by health authorities.”
In Italy, there has been a 15% spike in hospital admissions amid its worst drought in 60 years. Popular cities Florence, Rome, Venice and Verona are among those on extreme heat alert. Many of Rome’s fountains have been turned off and last week the city just about avoided water rationing.
Italian authorities have told people in affected regions to “only travel if your journey is essential”.
In the Serbian capital of Belgrade, there were reports of people fainting from heat exhaustion.
Polish officials have issued a warning, stating: “Protect yourself and support vulnerable people. Expect possible infrastructural breakdowns.”
Forest fires have hit a number of countries recently as temperatures soar. In Greece, crews were battling a bush fire in Anavyssos, near Athens. It comes after Britons were among 10,000 people evacuated after forest fires in the French Riviera last week.
Tourists also had to be rescued from Sicily in Italy due to wildfires.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office warned visitors to Italy that forest fires are “dangerous and unpredictable”, and that the risk of further blazes will remain over the summer.
Around 10 million people are expected to travel through European airports over the weekend, amid fears of more delays due to ramped-up immigration checks for Brits. Stricter security screening aimed at tackling terrorism has resulted in huge queues, and caused many to miss their flights.
The new rules, affecting those from nations outside the border-free Schengen zone, require travellers’ passports to be manually checked against Interpol records of lost or stolen travel documents.
Previously, there were spot checks on a small number of travellers while most were waved through after their passports had been briefly examined.
British Airways and Easyjet are warning passengers to get to airports three hours before their flight.
Airlines for Europe, the association representing carriers such as British Airways, said delays at some airports have risen 300% compared to last year.
Yesterday, hold-ups of up to eight hours due to industrial action at Barcelona’s El Prat airport added to the misery for travellers, with more strikes planned for Sunday.