Palermo Hits All-Time High Of 47C (117F), 2C+ Above Old Record; Surrounded By Flames, Airport Closes

Wildfires driven by an extreme heatwave have encircled Palermo after temperatures in the Sicilian city climbed to 47C (117F) on Monday. Local authorities closed the airport temporarily and part of the motorway as more than 55 wildfires were reported on the island. Hundreds of firefighters from other regions in Italy were due to arrive to help battle the flames.

An 88-year-old woman was reported to have died in San Martino delle Scale, a few miles from the Sicilian capital, after disruption caused by the fires prevented emergency services from reaching her in time. “We have never seen anything like it,” a San Martino delle Scale resident told Italy’s Ansa news agency. “We were surrounded by fire. We could not go anywhere. We spent the night in the square. These were terrible moments.” More than 120 families have been evacuated from their homes in Mondello, Capo Gallo and Poggio Ridente since Monday, as clouds of smoke advanced towards the city centre and the sirens of fire engines and ambulances resounded across the Sicilian capital.

Temperatures in Palermo soared on Monday, breaking the previous record for the city of 44.8C set in 1999. The National Institute for Astrophysics said 47C was recorded at its digital weather station at the top the medieval Palazzo dei Normanni at 3.42pm local time.

EDIT

In the east Sicilian city of Catania, temperatures were close to 47C and people were struggling with power cuts and problems with the water supply. The European record of 48.8C was registered in Floridia, Sicily, in August 2021. Temperatures are high across southern Italy and forecast to remain so before a drop on Wednesday.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/25/italy-wildfires-palermo-temperatures-sicily-airport-heatwave