Europe heatwave: Scorching heat effects Europe
Class created on 19/07/2023
Main article vocabulary
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
| Heatwave | This means a long period of time where the temperature is very, or unusually hot. |
| Scorching Temperatures | This means very hot temperatures. |
| Red Alert | This is a warning that is used when there is great danger and tells you to be very careful. |
| Extreme Heat | This means that the temperature is very, or unusually hot. |
| Heatwave Intensifies | ‘Intensifies’ means something gets worse. So, if the heatwave intensifies, the temperature gets hotter and hotter. |
| To Peak | ‘To Peak’ means the highest point of something. So, if the temperature peaks at 40C, this is the highest that it will reach. |
| Wildfires | A large fire that spreads quickly over woodland and can destroy anything in its way. |
| Raging across | If something is raging across Europe, it is spreading very quickly. |
| To add to people’s woes | To add to people’s problems/troubles. |
| …forecast to… | If something is ‘forecast to do something,’ it is predicted to do something. What they think will happen in the future. |
| …in excess of… | This means to be more/higher than something. In excess of 40C means higher than 40C. |
| …swept across the country… | If something sweeps across Europe, it is spreading very quickly. |
| …as a result of… | This means because of/due to something. |
Main Article
Millions of people are being affected by the scorching temperatures, as red alerts for extreme heat are in place in Europe and most of Italy’s main cities as a heatwave intensifies. Temperatures are expected to peak this week, with 23 cities across Italy on high alert.
To make matters worse, wildfires are also raging across parts of Europe, including in Greece and the Swiss Alps.
To add to people’s woes, the heat is forecast to last to the end of the week across most of southern Europe, following several days of temperatures in excess of 40C (104F). Some parts of Sicily are forecast to be the hottest again, with highs of around 46C or 47C. Rome had a new record-high temperature of 41.8C this week.
The heatwave, which has swept across the country, has been described by local media as settimana infernale – or “week of hell”.
In addition to the extreme heat and wildfires, there have also been power cuts in Palermo, Sicily’s capital, as a result of high demand for air conditioning.
However, temperatures are expected to fall on by the end of the week for many in Europe, including northern Italy – where red alerts will be removed for six cities.
The UN weather agency, has warned that the heatwaves in Europe could continue into August, and that the extreme temperatures sweeping Europe are the new normal due to climate change.
The weather changes over a long period of time. It either goes hotter or colder with either more or less rain
No sweat!
This is a local expression meaning ‘no problem, it’s easy’