Greece in grips of major heatwave
Pastor Dale Morgan
Greece in grips of major heatwave*
ATHENS, Aug 20 (AFP) Aug 20, 2006
Greece was in the grips of a major heatwave on Sunday, with temperatures
soaring to 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) and health
authorities on emergency footing.
The searing heat, caused by warm air masses from Africa, was expected to
hit the west of the country hardest, where the thermometer is likely to
stay at 42 degrees in the shade until Monday, the national weather
service said.
In Athens, largely deserted because of the summer holidays, the
temperature was 39 degrees on Sunday, forecast to climb to 40 on Monday.
Emergency services and hospitals across the country have been placed on
the alert, while the media has been broadcasting advice from the health
ministry, recommending that elderly and vulnerable people stay inside.
In Athens, the local council has made 26 air-conditioned rooms available
to the public from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.
The national grid is also on war footing for the surge in demand for
power to run aid-conditioning, expected to top 9,000 megawatts on Monday.
Weathermen predict the heatwave will begin to recede on Tuesday night.