Europe heatwave: Major Italian cities on red alert as Austria sets hot weather record

Italy placed all of its major cities under the highest heat alert Thursday as a blistering heatwave gripped Europe setting a national temperature record in Austria fueling wildfires in France and disrupting energy and transport systems across the continentThe extreme weather has pushed temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius 104 Fahrenheit in several countries prompting health warnings for millions of peopleAcross Europe authorities are grappling with the consequences of extreme heat health alerts for millions in Italy record temperatures in Austria droughtrelated disruptions to energy and shipping in Central Europe and wildfires stretching from France to the BalkansScientists and officials warn that such events are becoming more frequent and intense as the climate warmsClimate change drives more extreme summersFrom the Mediterranean to Central Europe prolonged heat drought and wildfire conditions are increasingly becoming defining features of summer The current heatwave has exposed vulnerabilities in public health systems power generation transportation networks and tourism infrastructure forcing governments and businesses to adapt to more frequent periods of extreme weatherItalys Health Ministry placed all 27 cities monitored under its national heat surveillance system on red alert Thursday the first time this year the entire network has been under the highest warning level simultaneouslyThe alerts stretch from Trieste in the northeast to Palermo in Sicily and signal a health risk for the entire population not only vulnerable groups such as older adults and people with chronic illnessesAuthorities urged residents and tourists to avoid direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day remain indoors where possible and drink plenty of water as temperatures in some areas approached 40 degrees CelsiusThe heat has also forced adjustments at major tourist attractions The ministries of tourism and culture extended evening opening hours at landmarks including Romes Colosseum and PantheonCooling mist fans have been installed at the Colosseums entrances and additional medical stations have been made availableAustria breaks national temperature recordThe most intense temperatures were recorded in Austria where the mercury reached 412 degrees Celsius on Wednesday in the village of Bad DeutschAltenburg near the Slovak border according to GeoSphere Austria It was the highest temperature ever recorded in the countryAustria is also facing severe drought Rainfall from Jan 1 through June 30 was 27 per cent below the longterm average nationwide while some eastern regions received only half their normal precipitationClimatologist Alexander Orlik said some parts of the country had not experienced such dry conditions since 1885Hungary cuts power use as drought hits nuclear plantIn Hungary prolonged drought and recordlow water levels on the Danube River have severely affected the countrys only nuclear power plant which relies on river water to cool its reactorsPlant operators have reduced output to about 10 per cent of normal production prompting the government to introduce emergency conservation measures as a recordbreaking heatwave grips the countryAuthorities have asked major industrial users and households to cut electricity consumption particularly during peak demand hours between 5 pm and 10 pm Freight trains have been barred from operating during those hours while decorative lighting on landmarks in Budapest has been switched offSeveral major companies including energy company Mol pharmaceutical maker Gedeon Richter and automakers Suzuki MercedesBenz Audi and BMW have announced plans to curb electricity useThe government also cancelled parliamentary sessions this week in an effort to conserve powerThe heatwave has shattered temperature records across the country On Wednesday night Budapest recorded its warmest overnight low temperature on record with temperatures falling only to 28 degrees Celsius 82 degrees Fahrenheit underscoring the persistence of the extreme heatGermany worries about shrinking riversGermany faced growing concerns over the impact of drought on transportation and industry as water levels on the Rhine and other rivers continued to fallTransport Minister Steffen Bilger met affected organisations on Thursday and warned that low water levels posed major challenges for inland waterway shipping industry and the broader logistics chainEnvironmental group BUND urged authorities to focus not only on the economic impacts but also on making rivers more resilient to climate change by retaining more water in landscapes and reducing withdrawals during periods of droughtFrance remains on high wildfire alertIn southeastern France firefighters maintained a large presence in the Var region after authorities said a major wildfire there was no longer spreading but remained capable of reignitingThe blaze which began July 20 has burned more than 60 square kilometres 23 square miles making it the largest recorded in the region in recent decadesAuthorities warned that strong winds and extremely dry conditions left southeastern France at very high risk for additional wildfiresBalkans battle fires and droughtThe heatwave reached its peak across the Balkans on Thursday as temperatures neared 40 degrees Celsius and authorities battled drought and wildfiresIn Serbia firefighters struggled to contain several blazes after days of dry weather One major fire burned through pine forests west of Belgrade while another spread near the central town of Kraljevo where difficult terrain complicated firefighting effortsIn neighbouring Croatia tourists in Dubrovnik sought refuge in shade and avoided beaches during the hottest hours of the day as temperatures soared along the Adriatic coastThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom 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