TOURISTS have been urged to stay indoors as temperatures are set to hit a sweltering 46C in Greece.
Forecasters have warned of a fresh heatwave already scorching the country as parts of the holiday resort are ravaged by wildfires.
APForecasters have warned temperatures could hit 46C in Greece[/caption]
APSatellit image shows an active wildfire near Genadi on the island of Rhodes[/caption]
The Emergency Bulletin of Dangerous Weather Phenomena has said temperatures could reach highs of 44C today in Thessaly and Central Greece.
And on Wednesday, temperatures are due to rocket to 46C in Peloponnese, in the country’s south.
Authorities have warned holidaymakers to stay inside and use air conditioners or fans to stay cool.
Civil protection officials are urging people to be “particularly careful” and to take “self-protection measures” against the warmth.
They urge everyone in Greece to stay in “cool and shady places” while using air-con and fans.
Officials urge people to avoid sunbathing and walking outside – and if you must, make sure you wear a hat, sunglasses and light clothes.
People should eat light meals with fruits and vegetables, and drink plenty of water and juice.
Booze should also be avoided, along with high-fat foods.
Greek officials add: “Special care is recommended for babies and young children, as well as the elderly and those with chronic diseases to protect them from high temperatures.”
But then there will be respite as the temperature then is predicted to “drop significantly” Thursday.
UK Foreign Office officials continue to urge any Brits jetting out for the summer holidays to follow all the health guidance.
It comes as wildfires continues to ravage Rhodes and other resorts including Corfu and Evia.
Some 20,000 people had to leave homes and hotels over the weekend as the inferno spread after charring swathes of land and damaging buildings.
Up to 10,000 stranded Brits wait for news after wildfires engulfed their hotels in Rhodes.
Shocking footage showed the moment a TV crew fled as flames engulfed a road in Vati.
They were left screaming as they ran to escape the flames flaring up close by.
Weather experts have declared 2023 an El Niño year – a natural phenomenon that occurs cyclically and causes fluctuations in the global climate.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organization said it will raise temperatures around the world, and the effect is likely to continue for the rest of the year.
And despite the heat this summer, Europe’s record temperature of 48.8C – recorded in 2021 in Sardinia, Sicily – has not been reached and is currently not forecast to be broken.
The current bout of heat belongs to a weather system originating in North Africa – an anticyclone dubbed “Charon”.
Charon refers to a character from Ancient Greek mythology – and follows on the heels of another high-pressure weather system, Cerberus, responsible for last week’s sweltering heat.
ReutersBurned vegetation is seen next to a beach, as a wildfire burns near the village of Kiotari, Rhodes[/caption]
ReutersFlames rise, as a wildfire burns near the village of Malona, Rhodes[/caption]
AFPA firefighting helicopter sprays water during a forest wildfire near an oil refinery in Agioi Theodoroi[/caption]
