Torrid heat wave from Europe to grip Türkiye, warns expert

ISTANBUL

A summer heat wave that has gripped Europe and hit an all-time high temperature in the region is now descending toward Türkiye and will spread across the country as of July 22, a prominent Turkish meteorologist has warned, alerting citizens to get ready to bear the brunt of sweltering heat that will last at least a few days.

“It is only the first days of the heat wave, which seems stronger than the wave in 2013. The blistering heat that has been affecting Europe for days is expected to continue until Tuesday [July 19] and can cause serious health issues. The heat wave will spread to southeast Europe after Wednesday [July 20],” Orhan Şen said.

Şen also pointed out that Muğla Governor’s Office warned that the scorching heat is dangerous in terms of forest fires. “Next week, we need to be careful as it looks like that [heat wave] will stay at least a few days.”

“Türkiye no longer has a Mediterranean climate but an arid climate. Now we are moving towards a bi-seasonal period,” he added.

Hüseyin Öztel, another meteorologist, agreed with Şen. “The wave causing hundreds of deaths in Europe is approaching Türkiye,” he said but reminded that the temperatures may rise on July 21, a day before Şen’s estimations.

“An era where we should be conscious of being under the sun is coming,” he warned.

According to the Turkish State Meteorological Service, the temperatures will hit 35 degrees Celsius in the Marmara region and 45 degrees Celsius in some provinces in the Aegean region.

“The temperatures will increase between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius across the country,” the bureau said in a statement.

The meteorologists especially warned residents of Istanbul to especially exercise caution on July 22 and 23.

“The metropolis will experience 34 and 35 degrees Celsius of heat” on the mentioned dates.

With the rise of the temperatures, the experts pointed out a risk of new wildfires in the western and the southern provinces.

“The speed of winds in [the western province of] İzmir, [ and famous Aegean coastal districts of] Bodrum, Ayvalık and Çeşme will reach 70 kilometers per hour,” an expert warned.

Mustafa Kemal Batur, a cardiologist, warned cardiac patients and elderly people not to go out at midday from July 22.

“These people should not leave their homes between 10.30 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” he said. “If they really need to go out, they should wear hats and prefer light-colored clothes.”

Another piece of advice the doctor gave to cardiac patients was “to drink water as much as they can” as the torrid weather hits.

The heat wave is the second to engulf parts of southwest Europe in weeks, and blazes burning in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain have destroyed thousands of hectares of land and forced thousands of residents and holidaymakers to flee.