A silent killer has come to the popular resorts of the Mediterranean – this was the statement made by the Red Cross, commenting on the sudden onset of hot weather already in April. Experts sound the alarm — vulnerable groups, in particular, summer tourists who especially travel outside of the hot season, are at risk.
The “heat wave” covered Spain and Portugal in the first place – according to Red Cross experts, the thermometer in Andalusia reached 40°C at one point last week. So, a temperature of 38.8°C was recorded at Cordoba airport in southern Spain. This is higher than the previous record for April, set in 2017. It was 34.0 ° C.
Tourists who miss the heat may be happy about the heat – but you shouldn’t treat it carelessly. Andreas von Weissenberg, head of the Department of Health, Natural Disasters, Crises, and Climate, warned about this: “We have said many times, heat is a silent killer. “Surges in excess mortality are evident during heat waves,” he said. At the same time, according to him, “special warning” is needed by vulnerable groups of people, including elderly tourists. “The heat at the beginning of the season is particularly dangerous because people have not yet acclimatized to high temperatures and may not have been ready for them,” the experts add.
We will remind you that the first victims of the heat have already been recorded in Spain – fortunately, they are not yet human. In Seville, Spain, while transporting tourists in a carriage, one horse died and another collapsed due to the wild heat of +36°C. An investigation into animal cruelty has been launched. Read details at this link.
By the way, the “heat wave” was brought to Europe by winds from Africa. They also “affected” the resorts located closer – “abnormal heat” was also noted in the resorts of Egypt, as well as in most cities, where the temperature reaches +35 degrees. For example, hot weather is forecast in Luxor and Abu Simbel, +34 degrees is expected on the first day, and +33 on the second. It’s hot in Cairo too, although “only” +28. In Hurghada and Marsa Alam, tourists can expect +31 degrees, almost the same weather in Sharm el-Sheikh – +30. For this time, these are quite high temperatures – note local meteorologists.