Red alert issued in Croatia over heatwave

A red alert is in place for all of Croatia as the country continues to swelter through a heatwave, with Friday’s temperature reaching 37 degrees Celsius — a level recorded in the northeastern region of Slavonia and southern Dalmatia.

And there’s been little respite in the sea. Water temperatures in some areas hit 28 degrees Celsius.

The National Hydrometeorological Institute reports that Friday’s exceptionally high temperatures prompted the issuance of Croatia’s highest-level weather alert.

Heat stroke is now a real risk for many people in the Mediterranean country. Its symptoms might include headaches and dizziness, discomfort, agitation and disorientation, redness, heated and dry skin, a rapid heartbeat,.. and even loss of consciousness, according to warnings released by the Croatian Red Cross.

The latest red alert comes as a sizzling heat wave, sends temperatures in parts of central and southern Europe soaring toward 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places.

“It is really affecting me”

From Italy to Romania, authorities warned people to be cautious, drive carefully if going on holiday, drink plenty of water, and avoid going out during the hottest hours of the day.

Italian authorities declared a red weather alert in seven cities on Thursday, mostly in the central parts of the country but also in the capital Rome and in Trieste in the northeast.

Rome’s municipal authorities issued a digital app to help people locate public drinking fountains as temperatures reached 38 °C (100 °F) on Thursday.

Dennis Mix, a visitor from the United States, said he skipped part of a planned tour of Rome and stayed in a van instead. “It is really affecting me,” he said.

During a previous heat wave last month, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, and Albania faced a major power outage amid an overload and the collapse of a regional distribution line.

Earlier this month, a powerful storm swept the region after days of heat and killed two people, damaged houses while uprooting trees and flooding streets.

Experts say human-induced climate change has brought more and more wild weather swings, increasingly unpredictable storms, and heat waves.