As tourists in central Athens huddled under mist machines, disgruntled visitors bemoaned the temporary closing of the Acropolis in Athens on the weekend as Greek authorities proactively shut the world monument’s gates between midday and early evening amid a heat wave that continues to grip southern Europe.
The high-pressure system affecting the region, which crossed the Mediterranean from north Africa, has been named Cerberus after the three-headed dog in ancient Greek mythology who guarded the gates to the underworld.
Officials in several countries were undertaking emergency measures, cellphone alerts and adjustments to staffing levels.
Cerberus is being tracked by the European Space Agency, which warned that the heat wave will also be felt in parts of northern Europe and will likely be worse this week.
“Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing a major heat wave, with temperatures expected to climb to 48 degrees Celsius on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia – potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe” the agency said.
In the Arctic, a record high temperature of 28.8 degrees Celsius was measured at Slettness Fyr on the northern tip of the Norway, Norwegian meteorologists said Thursday. This tops a previous record from July 1964 when the thermometer reached 27.6 degrees Celsius.
The United Nation’s World Meteorological Organization said global temperatures recorded in early July were among the hottest on record.
In the Greek capital, Red Cross staff handed out bottled water to tourists wilting in long lines hoping to beat the closure and scale the steps up to the gleaming Parthenon temple as temperatures threatened to peak above 40 degrees Celsius.
Some visitors were frustrated at being left in the lurch because they were unaware of Greek authorities’ last-minute announcement of the Acropolis’ closure at noon. One visitor said he was disappointed as his cruise ship would depart later in the day.
“I even bought a €50 ticket to skip the line to enter and I couldn’t enter the place,” Hector from Mexico said.
Red Cross coordinator Ioanna Fotopoulou said paramedics on hand administered first aid to a number of tourists exhibiting symptoms of dehydration and experiencing fainting spells.
In Spain, people packed the beaches as the country enjoyed a short-lived respite from its second heat wave of the summer.
Temperatures were still expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius in at least 12 of Spain’s 17 regions, although that was down from a high of 45 degrees (113 Fahrenheit) that scorched the southeastern town of Albox last.
Aemet, the Spanish state weather agency, says another heat wave was expected to start Sunday with highest temperatures yet to come.
In Italy, the country’s health ministry warned residents of 10 cities from Bologna to Rome to avoid being out in the midday heat due to extreme temperatures. The same warning was issued to another five cities in Sicily, Sardinia and Puglia for the weekend.
On Cyprus, in the southeastern Mediterranean, people clustered under air conditioning units and cooling fans set to full blast, as midday temperatures inland were forecast to hit a high of 43 C, and the Forestry Service issued a “red alert”, appealing to the public to take extra care and avoid using any machinery outdoors that could spark a fire.