Turkey has been hit by a record high temperature of 50.5 degrees as southeastern Europe reels under a heat wave and battles wildfires.
People try to cool down as Turkey sets a new heat recordImage: Berkan Cetin/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO
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Turkey's Environment Ministry said meteorologists had registered a reading of 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southeast of the country, setting a nationwide record.
The record temperature was registered on Friday at Silopi, the ministry said in a post on X on Saturday.
Silopi is 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Turkey's borders with Iraq and Syria.
The previous heat record, registered in August 2023, was 49.5 degrees Celsius.
How hot is it in Turkey?
Turkey is sweltering under a heat wave that has hit much of the eastern Mediterranean since Monday and is expected to last several more days.
The Environment Ministry said 132 weather stations across Turkey registered record temperatures for July.
Temperatures are up to 12 degrees Celsius higher than seasonal averages, Turkey's meteorological service said earlier this week.
Hospitals have reported a surge in cases of dehydration, heatstroke and foodborne illnesses, according to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet.
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Turkey battles disastrous wildfires
Temperatures above seasonal norms have been exacerbated by strong winds and dry conditions, resulting in dozens of wildfires across the country.
A new fire broke out on Friday close to high-rise apartments in the popular Mediterranean resort city of Antalya in southern Turkey.
Homes were evacuated in the city center on Friday and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced.
At 46.1 degrees Celsius, July temperatures in Antalya city were the highest for the month since records began in 1930.
Blazes were also reported in the provinces of Karabuk, Sakarya and Bilecik in northern Turkey, forcing the evacuation of several villages.
On Wednesday, 13 people died fighting a fire in Eskisehir province in western Turkey.
He said 25,000 personnel were fighting fires across the country, assisted by 27 planes, 105 helicopters and 6,000 ground vehicles.
A wildfire in central Eskisehir province claimed the lives of 13 forest workers and rescuersImage: DHA
Eastern Mediterranean hit by heat wave
The heat wave in the eastern Mediterranean region has left countries such as Greece, Cyprus and Albania reeling under extreme heat or fighting fires.
Greece on Saturday asked the European Union for help to battle wildfires that have sprung up in different regions.
One of the worst fires broke out just north of Athens, destroying houses and forcing police to evacuate homes.
Helicopters dropped water and firefighters battled the flames in a northwestern suburb of Athens on SaturdayImage: Yorgos Karahalis/AP Photo/picture alliance
Strong winds were fanning the blaze near Athens and other sites and the Peloponnese peninsula that juts out west of the capital, fire brigade spokesperson Vasileios Vathrakogiannis said on Saturday, according to the AFP news agency.
They were also feeding the flames on the islands of Crete, Euboea and Kythera, he added. "The hard part is ahead of us," he told reporters.
The fires broke out nearly a week into a heat wave, in which temperatures in Greece passed 45 degrees Celsius.
Greek authorities shut the Acropolis, the country's top archaeological site, during the hottest part of the day from midday to 5 p.m. for much of the week, including Saturday. They warned tourists to stay in the shade.
Extreme heat scorches Southern Europe
With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in Greece, Italy, Turkey and Cyprus in recent days, popular tourist attractions have been closed and fire crews are battling forest blazes.
Image: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Extreme heat poses health risk
In the Greek capital, Athens, popular ancient sights such as the Acropolis have remained closed during peak heat periods. The health risk for tour guides and tourists is too high. Matthew Enos, an 18-year-old visitor from the US, told the Reuters agency that he was not prepared for the heat. "Not the greatest feeling ever," he said, "so I've just been adapting by drinking lots and lots of water."
Image: Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Beating the heat
Temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) have been recorded in Greece and North Macedonia, with authorities warning of the health risk and asking people to stay at home, if possible. For those who work outdoors, the heat is a dangerous strain on the body. Victor, a tour guide in the North Macedonian city of Skopje, tried to beat the heat by pouring water over his face.
Image: Ognen Teofilovski/REUTERS
Rubble and ash
In the Cypriot village of Souni, a cooling pool lies abandoned among burned houses, as hundreds of people spent the night in emergency shelters due to forest fires. Firefighting teams from Jordan, Israel and Spain came to the aid of the island nation and were deployed to fight the blazes. The flames consumed a huge area of almost 120 square kilometers (about 46 square miles) of wooded hills.
Image: Petros Karadjias/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Urgent cooling measures
A fountain in the Sicilian city of Catania provided this man with some much-needed refreshment. Palermo, the capital of the Sicily region, has already issued the highest heat warning level. In the southern Italian region of Apulia, authorities have reported five deaths related to the extreme temperatures. For young children and the elderly, the heat can be life-threatening.
Image: REUTERS
'There is no shade, there is no wind'
In Rome, tourists are seeking refuge in the sparse shade of their parasols as they wait for a guided tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Some dehydrated tourists have collapsed in the extreme heat, said Francesca Duimich, who represents a tour guide association. "The Forum is a pit; There is no shade, there is no wind," she told The Associated Press.
Image: Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo/picture alliance
Refreshment in Istanbul
Head first into the Bosporus — the perfect way to cool off in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. A high-pressure system has been driving the scorching hot air from Africa into the Mediterranean region. In Turkey, highs above 40 degrees Celsius have already been recorded in 18 provinces, and meteorologists expect temperatures to continue to rise and break heat records.
Image: Agit Erdi Ulukaya/Anadolu/picture alliance
Balkans ablaze
Volunteers are plowing wide swaths through the meadows and fields near the village of Ponor, northwest of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, to prevent flames from spreading to grain fields and residential areas.
Image: NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP/Getty Images
Unbearable working conditions
The heat inside this full-body costume worn by a mascot in Sofia must be unbearable. The death of a street sweeper in Barcelona due to heat exhaustion has reignited an intense debate about better working conditions. Trade unions in southern European countries are calling for more protection for workers during the summer months.
Image: Hristo Vladev/Anadolu/picture alliance
Take a break
In the more bearable evening hours, young people in Thessaloniki play with water fountains. Employers in Greece are advised to adjust working hours in summer and take a break at lunchtime — but this is not mandatory.