Italy and Greece: Between wildfires, temperature records and flash floods (photos and videos)
Luglio 27, 2023
The last few days northern and southern Italy have been experiencing totally different weather conditions with northern Italy facing flash flooding, big hailstones, strong wind gusts and even a tornado, bringing destruction to people’s properties and national roads. On the other hand, southern Italy and Greece are experiencing a different type of weather pattern; dry conditions, higher than normal temperatures that are breaking records and wildfires burning up many km of land causing casualties.
Wildfires in southern Italy and Greece are causing people to lose their lives: severe wildfires brought destruction to southern Italy with Sicily playing a leading role and Calabria, Puglia and Sardinia following its steps. The severe heat wave, the strong wind and the dry climate were the lead factors to help the fire to spread. Most of the fires were caused by arson fires. The wildfires brought near to 5 fatalities, the destruction of many properties with around 1000 people losing their houses. Many kilometers of flora were destroyed and many animals were killed. In Sicily the biggest wildfires where in Palermo, Messina, Partinico, Termini Imerese, Syracuse, Alimena, in the province of Reggio Calabria, locally in Sardinia, while in Puglia there were noticed in San Cataldo in the province of Lecce, in the province of Foggia and in an area near to San Giovanni Rotondo.
Also Greece is experiencing severe wildfires the last few days with the biggest wildfires taking place in the islands of Rhodes, Corfu, Evia, but also in Peloponnisos, in the main road between Athens and Corinth and Chalkidiki, Lamia and many more. The greatest wildfire of all is taking place in Rhodes and is lasting nearly 1 week with many people losing their properties and tourists being forced to put an end to their vacations. The causes behind these difficult circumstances are the dry weather conditions, the high temperatures and the strong winds along with the arsons.
Temperatures reached 45-48°C in southern Italy and Greece breaking new records: the last few days many temperatures were broken in both countries as they experienced several heat waves, while 2 of them were the most severe. In southern Italy temperatures reached even at 45 to 48°C with new records breaking in Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria. New record was recorded in Noto with temperature at 47.2C (24/07), in Palermo with temperature at 45.9°C (24/07), in Catania with temperature at 45.7°C (25/07, breaking the record of 45.5°C of 24/07), Termini Imerese 44.6°C (24/07), Messina 41.9°C (24/07), while in Sardinia which had mostly all July temperatures near 40°C reached 48.2°C in Jerzu and Lotzorai, higher temperatures for 2023 in Europe, 47.7°C in Olbia, 47.4°C in Capo San Lorenzo and 46.8°C in Decimomannu.
According to the National Observatory of Athens and its stations in Greece on 26/07 around 170 weather stations recorded temperatures above 40°C. The highest temperatures were recorded in the eastern mainland with the highest temperature being in Agia Triada (Fthiotida) at 46.1°C (26/07), while it should be noted that 44 meteorological stations recorded maximum temperatures above 43°C. In Athens, the highest temperature recorded was 44.7°C in Palini while other cities in Athens had temperatures close to 42-44°C. An official record was broken on 23/07 in Gythio (Peloponnisos) with temperature reaching 46.4°C.
Winter spells in northern Italy with flash flooding, hail, tornado and temperature drop: totally different weather conditions had experiencing Italy the last few days as a low pressure system brought a big temperature drop, flash floods, big hailstones, strong wind gusts and on 21/07 a tornado was noticed in Cernusco sul Naviglio near Milan. Between 24 and 26 of July a severe weather system from central Europe headed southeastwards towards northern Italy, bringing weather conditions that usually are noticeable in the southern states of America. Severe thunderstorms accompanied by strong wind gusts and locally hail caused flash flooding in many regions, flash flooding and many destructions in properties while trees were uprooted.
The month of July will remain in our memories as one of the months with the biggest heat wave duration that Italy and Greece have ever seen, probably the last decades, for the big weather differences between northern and southern Italy, as well as for the uncountable wildfires.
