Sicily scorcher at 48.8C in highest ever temperature in Europe

A view of the beach of Mondello, Sicily, crowded with sunbathers
AP
Lily Waddell11 August 2021

Sicily has broke the highest ever temperature record in Europe.

Temperatures climbed to a record-breaking 48.8 degrees in Syracuse, located on the island’s south-east coast, on Wednesday, according to Sicily’s Agrometeorological Information System (SIAS).

Athens previously held the record title for the hottest temperature in Europe at 48C, accepted by World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

As temperatures soared, fires have continued to ravage southern Italy on Wednesday.

Blazes have been sweeping through Sicily and Calabria.

Firefighters said they had been on the ground working on more than 3,000 operations in Sicily and Calabria in the last 12 hours.

"We must immediately respond to this emergency, providing economic relief to those who have lost everything," said Agriculture Minister Stefano Patuanelli.

Fires have been sparked across southern Europe amid the rising temperatures.

Italian island of Sardinia has suffered damage to the landscape following the blazes.

Many villages in Greece have been evaculated as firefighters continue to battle the wildfires.

Duncan Scott, a Scottish meteorologist, issued a stark warning about the weather after the news broke about the record-breaking temperatures.

“A dangerous heatwave spanning much of North Africa and into Southern Europe is unfolding right now. The focus of heat will shift west and north slightly in the coming days. More records are inevitable,” he said.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in