The European Space Agency (ESA) has issued a warning, stating that the heatwave has only just begun and is expected to reach unprecedented levels.

Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and Poland are among the countries facing the brunt of this scorching weather, with some regions forecasted to experience temperatures as high as 48°C. If realized, these temperatures could mark the hottest ever recorded in Europe.

The ESA attributes the extreme heat to an anticyclone, a high-pressure system known as Cerberus, named after the fearsome creature from Dante's Inferno. This anticyclone is approaching from the south, intensifying the heatwave and causing temperatures to skyrocket across much of Italy. The agency points out that this comes after a spring and early summer marked by storms and floods, making the current heatwave all the more disruptive.

The ESA further notes that the existing record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe, set on August 11, 2021, is in jeopardy. Floridia, a town in the Sicilian province of Syracuse, witnessed a scorching 48.8°C on that fateful day. However, the agency warns that this record may be shattered once again in the coming days as the heatwave continues to engulf the continent.

To illustrate the severity of the situation, the ESA released an animation utilizing data from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission's radiometer instrument. The animation depicts the land surface temperatures across Italy between July 9 and 10, 2023.

The image reveals that numerous cities, including Rome, Naples, Taranto, and Foggia, experienced surface temperatures exceeding 45°C. In particular, the eastern slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily saw temperatures surpassing a scorching 50°C.

As Europe grapples with this unprecedented heatwave, authorities and citizens are urged to take necessary precautions to safeguard against the extreme temperatures and potential risks associated with them. (ILKHA)