The Italian island of Sicily experienced an extreme temperature of 48.8 °C, or broke the European high temperature extreme

The Paper's reporter Nan Boyi intern Wei Jiachen

On August 11, 2021, local time, Rome, Italy, ushered in a high temperature, and the people flushed under the tap near the Colosseum to cool down. Surging image

As the heat wave swept across Italy, Sicily reached its highest temperature in European history – 48.8 degrees Celsius.

According to the Guardian, the temperature was measured at a monitoring station in Syracuse, Sicily, and was confirmed shortly afterwards by the island's meteorological bureau. If this figure is recognized by the World Meteorological Organization, it would break the record of 48 degrees Celsius previously set by Europe in Athens in 1977. The Italian Meteorological Association confirmed the authenticity of the temperature report, however the record will need to go through a verification process before it is officially announced.

Sicily has been experiencing heat over the past few days. According to Met Office meteorologist Trevor Mitchell, the foothill effect at the foot of the western foot of Syracuse (from wet, cold conditions on one side of the mountain to warm, dry conditions on the other) contributed to an extreme temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius.

Before that, the heat wave had crossed the Mediterranean Sea and extended to Tunisia and Algeria, causing fires in much of the region to burn for more than a week. The Italian government has declared a state of emergency. Turkey and Greece also suffered devastating fires. Meteorologist Scott Duncan said a dangerous heat wave across much of North Africa and southern Europe was spreading, and more heat records would be inevitable.

Climatologists have previously predicted that fossil fuel emissions from vehicles, factories and deforestation will lead to more extreme weather. Extreme heat is emerging around the world. The latest report released Monday by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the changes are clear and irreversible, but that if the government acts quickly, it can halt further climate deterioration.

Editor-in-Charge: Zhang Wuwei

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