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14 WORLD maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 JULY 2023 SOUTHERN Europe is contin- uing to experience extremely hot weather, with temperatures well above 40ºC in some parts, causing wildfires in Spain, Greece and Turkey. The European Space Agency (ESA) has warned that the hot- test European temperature ever could be recorded, breaking the record 48.8ºC seen in Sicily in August 2021. Europe has been baking in very hot weather since last week, due to a heatwave that was been dubbed "Cerberus", after the three-headed dog in ancient Greek mythology that guarded the gates to the underworld. And the arrival of an anticy- clone that has been named Cha- ron – who in Greek mythology was the ferryman of the dead – is only exacerbating the issue. How long could the heatwave last? The World Meteorological Organisation said on Monday that the heatwave is forecast to intensify by mid-week and is likely to continue into August in some places. New records have already been set for specific weather stations in parts of the northern hemisphere and new national records may also be set, the UN agency's website said. "The heat is forecast to inten- sify by the middle of the week in parts of the Mediterranean, in- cluding Greece and Turkey," it added. "A further continuation into August is likely." The ESA said: "Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing a major heatwave with air temperatures expected to climb to 48ºC on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia." The Italian weather service said Sardinia would be at the "epicentre" of the heatwave. Italian meteorologist and cli- mate expert, Giulio Betti, told BBC News: "Temperatures will reach a peak between 19 and 23 July – not only in Italy but also in Greece, Turkey and the Bal- kans. Several local heat records within these areas may well be broken during those days." Spain's Aemet weather agen- cy said the heatwave this week "will affect a large part of the countries bordering the Med- iterranean" with temperatures in some southern areas of Spain exceeding 42ºC. What is causing the Charon heatwave? Charon is an anticyclone – an- other name for an area of high pressure – that pushed into southern Europe from North Africa on Sunday. It has followed the Cerberus heatwave that has already been causing scorching temperatures in Europe. Rebekah Sherwin, expert me- teorologist from the Met Of- fice's global forecasting team, said the high temperatures have been driven by an established high pressure system that is sat across the affected regions. She said: "Heatwave condi- tions already occurring across much of southern Europe, north-west Africa and the Mid- dle East are expected to contin- ue through the coming week. "Peak temperatures – which are around 10°C to 15°C high- er than average – could reach the mid-40s degrees Celsius in parts of southern Europe and up to 50°C in parts of North Af- rica. Higher than average tem- peratures are also likely at times further north across Europe, but these will be shorter lived and less impactful. "The high temperatures are being driven by an established high pressure system that is sit- ting across the region, allowing temperatures to build day by day. Unusually high sea surface temperatures are also occurring across the region, with many parts of the Mediterranean seeing surface temperatures as high as 25°C to 28°C. "The southern shift of the jet stream that has pushed the high pressure southwards across this region has also led to low pressure systems being direct- ed into the UK, bringing more unsettled and cooler weather here than we experienced in June when the jet stream was at a more northerly latitude." Where are wildfires burning? At least 4,000 people were evacuated from their homes on the Spanish island of La Palma on Sunday as firefighters strug- gled to contain a wildfire. Wildfires outside Athens have forced thousands of people to flee seaside resorts, closed motorways and gutted holiday homes, as high winds pushed flames through hillside scrub and pine forests. Authorities issued evacua- tion orders for at least six sea- side communities as two major wildfires edged closer to sum- How long will the heatwave last in Europe? weather forecast and travel advice