Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Italy may have hit Europe's hottest day on record as anticyclone 'Lucifer' sweeps in

Italy may have hit Europe's hottest day on record as anticyclone 'Lucifer' sweeps in

Authorities in Italy say the island of Sicily may have set an all-time heat record for Europe, hitting a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

The city of Siracusa hit the blistering record on Wednesday afternoon, as an anticyclone -- which Italian media reports are referring to as "Lucifer" -- swept in and continues to moves north up the country. A persistent heat wave around the Mediterranean in Europe and North Africa has contributed to some of the worst fires seen there in years.

The hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe was 48.0°C (118°F) in Athens, Greece in 1977, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The record in Italy was confirmed by Sicilian authorities, but needs to be officially verified by the WMO.

"At the moment there are no reasons to invalidate it, but if possible we will make an ex-post evaluation on the accuracy of the measure" said the Sicilian Agrometeorological Information Service, Sicily's official weather station operator.

An anticyclone is a high-pressure system, where atmospheric pressure is relatively higher than the air surrounding it.

In the Northern Hemisphere, they turn clockwise, while they turn the other direction in the southern hemisphere.

Some of the fires have been started by arsonists, but scientists say it's the climate crisis that is making heat waves and fires more frequent and intense, and therefore more destructive.

An authoritative report by the UN's International Panel on Climate Change published Monday said that 38 weather conditions that promote wildfires have become more probable in southern Europe over the last century. Globally, the heat waves and droughts worsening fires have increased too.

People cool down in the sea in Sicily's Palermo on Wednesday.


Sicily is the the largest island in the Mediterranean and sits off what is sometimes referred to as the "toe" of Italy, a country that is shaped like a boot.

'Meteotsunami' hits Spanish resort


Temperatures around the Mediterranean have been 5 to 10 degrees C higher than average this week, and dozens of people have died in wildfires tearing across southern Europe and North Africa, most of them in Algeria, where at least 69 people have been killed. Deaths have been record in Turkey as well, which is now also experiencing flooding on the Black Sea coast, leaving at least nine people dead. Parts of Italy and Greece have also been badly hit by fires, where some villages have been largely destroyed.

A drone photo shows rescue operations at a collapsed building after floods in Bozkurt district in Kastamonu, Turkey on Thursday.


And Santa Pola, a resort in the Spanish city of Alicante, has been hit with a "meteotsunami." Images shared by police on Facebook Wednesday night showed low-level flooding on the streets.

Meteotsunamis are large waves "driven by air-pressure disturbances often associated with fast-moving weather events," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US.

"The storm generates a wave that moves towards the shore, and is amplified by a shallow continental shelf and inlet, bay, or other coastal feature," it said, adding that scientists are just beginning to understand the phenomenon better.

Alicante was hit with low-level flooding.


Santa Pola police said that water had overrun the coastal paths and caused damage along them. The wave also impacted fishing boats.

"An unexpected meteorological phenomenon surprised us tonight, with a sudden 'tidal rise' that caused a lot of problems to moored fishing boats and sent several boats adrift," it said in its statement overnight.

Alicante University's climatology lab said that meteotsunamis occur more frequently in the Balearic Islands -- which include Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca -- but that "from time to time they occur in our area, although this has been somewhat more intense than usual."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×