The gist: The presence of the Cerberus anticyclone in southern Europe is raising fears of fresh temperature spikes higher than in recent weeks. What to Expect Explanations.
With the onset of summer we experienced exceptional temperatures. Those of the next few days should confirm the trend and even strengthen it. The cause ? The presence of an anticyclone from the Sahara called “Cerberus”, a name that refers to the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to the underworld in Greek mythology…
The European Space Agency (ESA) launched the warning on Twitter with a map in support: “After the hottest month of June on record, July isn’t looking any cooler. A major heat wave is likely to push temperatures to 48°C.”
After the hottest June on record, July isn’t looking so fresh either. \ud83c\udf21\ufe0f
During a major heat wave, a temperature rise of up to 48 °C is expected.
This map shows land surface temperatures reaching 46°C in Rome and Madrid and 47°C in Seville.#cerberus
\ud83d\udd17 https://t.co/lEwVxkecb2 pic.twitter.com/LAyKdL4LDF— ESA Earth Observation (@ESA_EO) July 13, 2023
The southern European countries initially affected are already recording record temperatures: 41 degrees in Seville, 45 degrees in Loja (Andalusia). According to measurements made by the European Observatory Copernicus in Extremadura (in the middle-east of the country), the ground temperature reaches 60 degrees. Meanwhile, Sardinia and Sicily recorded temperatures of 48 degrees.
Heat wave contingency plans were triggered
In some urban areas in Spain, authorities have implemented heatwave contingency plans, including reducing working hours or issuing phone alerts. The measures also affect zoos in the region in order to cool animals suffering from the heat as best as possible.
“There is a persistent heat dome over the Mediterranean basin, which will increase in power over the weekend and it is possible that we will break records in certain areas between Tuesday and next Wednesday,” explains Météo France forecaster Francois Gourand in the Parisian. “But in France, the rest of the country, apart from Corsica and the extreme south-east, benefits from a sea current that prevents the heat of the Sahara from settling for a long time.” A threatening heat wave is not to be expected for the time being, at least not in the north of France.
These heat waves coincide with the return of the El Niño phenomenon (climatic process characterized by the warming of the waters of the Pacific Ocean). For the future, Copernicus experts expect that “global temperatures will continue to rise and other weather records will be broken”.