Irish holidaymakers urged to reconsider trips as mega heatwave hits Europe

Scorching temperatures are set to remain for the week to come.

Irish holidaymakers are being urged to seriously consider the risks of any upcoming trips to mainland Europe this week and beyond as the continent is gripped by a dangerous heatwave. The weather event, named 'Cerberus', has caused temperatures to reach well into their 40s this week across countries like Spain, Italy, Greece and France. Sixteen cities across Italy, including Rome and Florence, have been issued with red alerts. Sicily and Sardinia could see temperatures climb as high as 49C, which would be the hottest ever recorded in Europe. A second upcoming heatwave, named 'Charon', after the Ancient Greek ferryman of the dead, is expected to cause "threat to life" next week.

Hot air hitting Southern Europe next week again. Majorca will get up to 44c Tuesday and Sardinia could hit 47c! Meanwhile Ireland is likely to max out at 20c Tuesday! pic.twitter.com/jwsPLw6g5A

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) July 14, 2023

Irish holidaymakers urged to reconsider European trips

Dr Diarmuid Quinlan spoke on RTÉ Radio One, telling families travelling with young children or elderly relatives to "seriously think" about the trip in terms of safety. Travel writer Joan Scales told Newstalk that Irish people who are yet to book their summer should take a step back and consider the situation. "I am afraid (this extreme weather) is in all of our favourite places. It is Spain, France, Greece, Croatia and Turkey. A great swathe across all of them. "Put up a map and all you will see is red all the way from Turkey all across to Spain, and of course Portugal as well. "I'm kind of saying to people, 'If you haven't booked you holidays, rethink it. "There's going to be more of this, it is not the only one. They are talking about this heat wave lasting five days but its going to be followed by another heatwave in the next couple of weeks." To stay safe in the extreme heat, people are advised to drink water, avoid direct exposure to the sun, wear light clothing, apply sunscreen and avoid dehydrating drinks like coffee and alcohol.

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