ROME — Italy placed all its major cities under the highest heat alert Thursday as a blistering heat wave gripped Europe, setting a national temperature record in Austria, fueling wildfires in France and disrupting energy and transport systems across the continent. The extreme weather has pushed temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in several countries, prompting health warnings for millions of people. Scientists and officials warn that such events are becoming more frequent and intense as the climate warms. The current heat wave has exposed vulnerabilities in public health systems, power generation, transportation networks and tourism infrastructure, forcing governments and businesses to adapt to more frequent periods of extreme weather. Italy’s red alert in all major cities is a first Italy’s Health Ministry placed all 27 cities monitored under its national heat surveillance system on red alert Thursday -- the first time this year that the entire network has been under the highest warning level simultaneously. The alerts stretch from Trieste in the northeast to Palermo in Sicily and signal a health risk for the entire population, not only vulnerable groups such as older adults and people with chronic illnesses. Authorities urged residents and tourists to avoid direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day, remain indoors where possible and drink plenty of water. The heat has also forced adjustments at major tourist attractions. The ministries of tourism and culture extended evening opening hours at landmarks including Rome’s Colosseum and Pantheon. Mist fans and an ‘urban beach’ set up to cool residents Cooling mist fans have been installed at the Colosseum’s entrances and additional medical stations have been made available. Rome has also introduced another unusual response to the heat emergency: a free municipal “urban beach” along the Tiber River in the Marconi neighborhood, where residents can cool off in swimming pools, water fountains and shaded areas. The site, known as Tiberis, has become a refuge for families and children seeking relief from record temperatures. Residents praised the initiative, saying it allowed them to better cope with the heat and offered a rare opportunity to escape the city’s scorching asphalt and concrete. “It is excellent, it is a great initiative. They did the right thing, specially with such hot days it is important to cool down with water, specially for children,” Rome resident Claudio Rocchi said. Austria and Slovakia break national temperature records Later on Thursday, Slovakia recorded another all-time high temperature. The new record set at Dolne Plachtince in the south was 42.2 C (108 F), the Slovak Meteorological Institute said. In Slovakia, the low levels of water in the Danube forced the country’s biggest hydroelectric power plant in Gabčikovo to shut down seven of its eight turbines, the TASR news agency said. So far this year, the power plant produced 15 per cent less electricity than a year ago due to a lack of water in the river. The authorities recorded the lowest flow of water in the Danube for July on record, the Academy of Sciences said. An all-time high temperature of 41.2 C (106.2 F) was also recorded in Austria on Wednesday in the village of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg near the Slovak border, according to GeoSphere Austria. Austria is also facing severe drought. Rainfall from Jan. 1 through June 30 was 27 per cent below the long-term average nationwide, while some eastern regions received only half their normal precipitation. Climatologist Alexander Orlik said some parts of the country had not experienced such dry conditions since 1885. Hungary cuts power use as drought hits nuclear plant In Hungary, prolonged drought and record-low water levels on the Danube River have severely affected the country’s only nuclear power plant, which relies on river water to cool its reactors. Plant operators have reduced output to about 10 per cent of normal production, prompting the government to introduce emergency conservation measures as a record-breaking heat wave grips the country. Authorities have asked major industrial users and households to cut electricity consumption, particularly during peak demand hours between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Freight trains have been barred from operating during those hours, while decorative lighting on landmarks in Budapest has been switched off. Several major companies, including energy company Mol, pharmaceutical maker Gedeon Richter and automakers Suzuki, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW have announced plans to curb electricity use. The government also cancelled parliamentary sessions this week in an effort to conserve power. The heat wave has shattered temperature records across the country. On Wednesday night, Budapest recorded its warmest overnight temperature on record, with temperatures falling only to 28 C (82 F), underscoring the persistence of the extreme heat. Germany worries about shrinking rivers Germany faced growing concerns over the impact of drought on transportation and industry as water levels on the Rhine and other rivers continued to fall. Transport Minister Steffen Bilger met affected organizations Thursday and warned that low water levels posed major challenges for inland waterway shipping, industry and the broader logistics chain. Environmental group BUND urged authorities to focus not only on the economic impacts but also on making rivers more resilient to climate change by retaining more water in landscapes and reducing withdrawals during periods of drought. France remains on high wildfire alert In southeastern France, firefighters maintained a large presence in the Var region after authorities said a major wildfire there was no longer spreading but remained capable of reigniting. The blaze, which began July 20, has burned more than 60 square kilometres, making it the largest recorded in the region in recent decades. Authorities warned that strong winds and extremely dry conditions left southeastern France at very high risk for additional wildfires. Temperatures cooled in England, but the impact from the driest July on record was on display as a grass fire temporarily shut down the southern runway at Heathrow Airport in London on Thursday. Balkans battle fires and drought The heat wave reached its peak across the Balkans on Thursday as temperatures neared 40 C (104 F) and authorities battled drought and wildfires. In Serbia, firefighters struggled to contain several blazes after days of dry weather. One major fire burned through pine forests west of Belgrade, while another spread near the central town of Kraljevo, where difficult terrain complicated firefighting efforts. In neighbouring Croatia, tourists in Dubrovnik sought refuge in shade and avoided beaches during the hottest hours of the day as temperatures soared along the Adriatic coast. ——— Giada Zampano, Kirsten Grieshaber and Justin Spike, The Associated Press Associated Press journalists Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.
