For the second day in a row, the tourist attraction Acropolis is closed during the hottest hours in the middle of the day. The archaeological landmark is high and unshaded. This makes the place vulnerable to extreme heat. On Saturday, it may be over 40 degrees, and the Acropolis will therefore be closed between 12 and 5.30 pm. On Friday, a person was taken down on a stretcher. Water bottles are handed out at the top. People are advised to drink at least 2 liters a day in the Greek capital. WORLD FAMOUS: A tourist drinks water at the Acropolis last Thursday. Photo: Petros Giannakouris / AP The heat wave in Greece has been named “Kleon”. In Athens, temperatures will creep up to 43 degrees next week. Out on the Greek islands, where many Norwegians holiday, it will be somewhat milder. But heat of 37–40 degrees here will probably still be felt. Danger warning for 16 cities in Italy Italian authorities have issued danger warnings for 16 cities, including Rome, Florence and Bologna, writes the BBC. It is expected that the temperature will rise in the coming week. On Tuesday, it could be 43 degrees in Rome. The previous record is 40.5 from August 2007, according to the AFP news agency. Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland may experience extreme temperatures, according to the European Space Agency ESA. They monitor temperatures on land and water from satellites. COOLING OFF: A man who says his name is Alfonso cools off in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo. Photo: GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE / Reuters People who are in the 16 cities with a red warning are encouraged to stay out of the sun between 11am and 6pm, and take extra care of the elderly. The highest temperature ever measured in Europe is from Sicily in August 2021. The question now is whether the record of 48.8 degrees can be beaten. Globally, we have recently seen the world’s hottest day, and the hottest week on earth. The heat records are mainly due to two things, according to Bloomberg. The man-made climate changes are making the world increasingly warmer, and the weather phenomenon El Niño. Forest fire danger In Greece, forest fires are feared in areas with strong winds. Here, one fears a summer like in 2021, when the country was ravaged by large fires. High temperatures have also reached central parts of Europe, with Germany and Poland among the countries affected. A danger warning has been issued in the Czech Republic. The temperature can rise above 38 degrees, which is abnormal for the area. One in three in the US affected Europe is not alone in experiencing a heat wave now. The USA, China, North Africa and Japan are also experiencing this. 113 million Americans live in places that have received an extreme heat warning. That makes up a third of the US population. 27 million live in places that are expected to get above 43 degrees in the coming days. Las Vegas could beat its personal record of 47 degrees Celsius, while Death Valley in California could exceed 54 degrees Celsius. The National Weather Service (NWS) is warning people in Las Vegas who think they are prepared for desert temperatures. “This heat wave is NOT typical desert heat due to its long duration, extreme daytime temperatures and warm nights. Everyone needs to take this heat seriously, including those living in the desert,” NWS writes on Twitter. Temperature in the world since 1880 compared to the average in the period 1991-2020 +0.5°C compared to normal? Click for explanation normal temperature 18801900192019401960198020002020Go to news’s Climate Status Why are most years blue and colder than normal? This is because all years are now compared with a new normal, i.e. the average weather in the 30-year period 1991-2020. These 30 years have been unusually warm. Most other years are therefore colder than normal. Until recently, researchers used a normal period that ran from 1961-1990. In these years it was relatively cold. It’s been quite a while since the 1960s and the new normal allows us to compare the weather with the climate (normal) that people actually experience today. The normal period is determined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and is used in all countries . In this way, we can compare the weather in Norway with other countries and we can measure changes across the globe. How can you calculate one temperature for the whole world? This number is the result of a complicated calculation. Measurements are made with thermometers both on land and on the sea surface (at sea the thermometers are attached to buoys). In some places the thermometers are close together, in other places they are far apart. Using a statistical method, the researchers are able to give the measurements different weights, so that all areas are equally important: The data used in this graph comes from the American NOAA. They have divided the globe into squares of 5° x 5° and calculate one temperature for each square. Then they can again work their way up to a global figure, for each month or for each year. They can also make figures for the temperature only over the ocean or only over land, or for the northern and southern hemispheres. The lines at the poles are smaller than along the equator due to the curvature of the globe. The researchers also take this into account in their calculations. Others, such as NASA or the Hadley Centre, calculate in slightly different ways than NOAA. Therefore, there are often small differences between the various data sets. In any case, the trend they show is the same: since 1880, the world has become warmer.
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