On Thursday, the thermometer will crack the 30-degree mark in Switzerland on the north side of the Alps. This while the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe was recorded on Wednesday. In Syracuse on the southeast coast of Sicily, the thermometer rose to 48.8 degrees.
If officially confirmed, it will be a new record for Europe: the highest temperature ever recorded on the continent. This topples a 44-year European temperature record from 1977. At that time, 48 degrees were measured in Athens.
The aptly named High Lucifer is currently pushing hot Saharan air masses northwards from Africa and turning southwest Europe into a pizza oven. The number of Italian cities in which the red alert is being proclaimed because of the scorching heat is expected to rise from four on Tuesday to ten on Thursday. Among others, Bolzano, Trieste, Bologna, Rome, Bari and Palermo are affected.
Spain also glows, up to 34 degrees in Switzerland
According to the weather service “Meteonews”, similar temperatures are likely to be reached in Spain at the weekend. Seville in the Andalusian south of the country expects 47 degrees on Sunday and Monday.
What does that mean for Switzerland? According to “Meteonews” on Thursday there are up to 33 degrees on both sides of the Alps, other weather services forecast up to 34 degrees. It hardly gets any hotter. A westerly current flattens the temperatures back below the 30 mark in the following days. (kes)