Irish tourists facing extreme heat as temperatures hit 45C in Europe 

A man rides his bike on a small road in the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany. Picture: AP Photo/Michael Probst

Thousands of Irish holidaymakers across the continent will bear the brunt of record-breaking temperatures across Europe in the coming days, as extreme heat is set to engulf Europe once again.

In a repeat of last summer, meteorologists in countries such as Spain, Italy, and Greece have warned of ominous conditions.

More than 100 weather stations in Spain alone reached 35C before 6am on Wednesday, with Spain’s national weather agency warning that “hot winds blowing from the interior will cause temperatures to soar” even higher.

In Italy, 10 cities including Rome and Florence were put on alert for extreme temperatures, with some parts of the country reaching 45C in a heatwave that has been named Cerberus.

The islands of Sicily and Sardinia could even surpass such temperatures, scientists have warned.

Head of the Italian Meteorological Society, Luca Mercalli, told CNN “the Earth has a high fever and Italy is feeling it first hand”, as tourists passed out at Rome’s famed Colosseum.

In Greece, officials put a ban on access to nature reserves and forests over wildfire fears, while working animals such as horses and donkeys offering rides in tourist areas have been curtailed, as temperatures in the country were predicted to reach 44C.

Europe recorded its hottest-ever summer in 2022, with scientists warning the return of the warming El Niño pattern is likely to spike temperatures even further in the coming year.

A study in the journal Nature Medicine this week has estimated that more than 61,000 people died in the heatwaves last summer.

The Cerberus heatwave event is happening just as a proposal to restore nature in Europe narrowly passed among MEPs on Wednesday.

While there was celebration for the political achievement, it was contrasted by deep disappointment among environmental campaigners at the watered-down final text of the European Commission’s nature restoration proposal.

All 13 Irish MEPs voted for that proposal, with Fine Gael’s five defying the leadership of its European People’s Party (EPP) political group at the last minute.

However, that was only after deep compromises on the original version were secured in Strasbourg.

The proposal aims to restore at least 20% of the EU’s damaged land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems by 2050. More than 80% of protected habitats across the EU are in a bad state, according to the European Environment Agency, with a combined area about half the size of Spain in need of restoration.

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