Malta joins in the wave of high temperatures

The Maltese islands are expected to join other southern European countries experiencing high temperatures and in some places even heat waves.

According to the Meteorological Office, at Luqa, the temperature continues to rise and by Tuesday, it is expected to reach 39°C with heat stress reading 41 and the UV index 11 plus.

Mr Savour Porter Chief Met officer said that the warm weather is the result of a ridge of high pressure extending from north of the Black Sea towards the central Mediterranean and North Africa.

And for statisticians who would like to keep meteorological records Mr Porters had carried out a study which shows that July has always been rather hot: in 1983 the temperature was between 37°C and 39°C for five consecutive days; 38°C to 41°C for seven consecutive days in 1987; 38°C to 42°C for four consecutive days in 1988, the first three days and last four consecutive days 36°C to 43°C, in 1998 and 37°C to 39°C for four consecutive days in 2000

Temperatures reaching 40°C and over in July were registered in 1982 for one day, two days in 1987, three days in 1988 and two consecutive days in 1998, according to Mr Porter. Temperature is expected to reach a comfortable level by mid next week, promised Mr Porter.

The Civil Protection Department (CDP) and the Health Department have warned the public to take the necessary precautions because of the excessive heat expected in the coming days. According to CPD director Peter Cordina, the Met Office has informed his department that temperatures are expected to rise to 40°C in the next four days.

Summer tips like drinking plenty of water, staying cool, resting, wearing sunscreen and staying away from the afternoon sun, are highly recommended.

"When the temperatures hit high record levels it has always had an immediate effect on our operations with increases in demand felt across all our beverages but in particular our beer, soft drinks and especially water sectors," said Ray Grech, chief marketing officer at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc.

"We are particularly sensitive about the latter as we understand the role that water plays in staving off dehydration and in response we step up our production and distribution efforts to satisfy demand," he remarked.

Countries on the periphery of the Mediterranean basin and others in southern Europe have been experiencing high temperatures, in some cases reaching heat wave level.

Five Romanians died this week as a heat wave gripped parts of the Balkans where temperatures have hit 42°C, causing wild fires, power shortages and traffic disruption.

"We have five people who died of heat. The heat wave could last until July 27," Romanian Health Minister Eugen Nicolaescu said.

Off the coast of Croatia, even sea temperatures were expected to hit a record 30°C in the coming days.

A previous heat wave last month claimed the lives of 30 people in the Black Sea state over a two-week period and scorched thousands of hectares of farmland, badly hitting the country's cereal crop.

In the Serbian capital Belgrade authorities wheeled out two dozen cistern trucks with water to hot spots such as bus and train stations, urging citizens to drink and wet their head to avoid heatstroke.

Officials cautioned against swimming in the Ada Ciganlija lake, as the difference in temperature between the air and the water had caused several swimmers to suffer cardiac arrest and die. In Bucharest, television footage showed people with bottles of water sheltering under the trees in the city centre. Authorities have also set up tents throughout the main cities to offer water and emergency medical assistance.

Trains arriving in Bucharest have reported delays due to speed restrictions imposed by the authorities worried the heat could buckle rails and cause derailments.

Falling water levels in Albania's hydropower stations caused power cuts of up to 14 hours a day and also affected the water supply, which depends on electricity to operate its pumps.

In the capital Tirana, people were stocking up on six-litre plastic containers and filling them up in public parks, some loading up many at a time on wheelbarrows to take home.

Wild fires were reported in Macedonia, Bulgaria and in parts of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province. Kosovo's largest waterfall, in the town of Klina, dried up for the first time since 1965.

Italy's power demand hit an all-time record of 56,120 Megawatts at 11.45 a.m. on Wednesday fuelled by a heat wave but the situation remained under control, Italy's power grid Terna said in a statement.

Take off your tie, says the Italian health ministry. It has urged employers to let their staff dress casually at work in the summer so the air conditioning can be turned down.

"Taking your tie off immediately lowers the body temperature by two to three degrees Celsius," the ministry said in a statement.

"Allowing a more sensible use of air conditioning that yields electricity savings and protects the environment."

It called on all public and private offices to let employees wear no tie during heat waves like the one that has brought Africa-like temperatures to many parts of Italy this week.

The move echoes a similar initiative from Italy's biggest oil group, ENI, which told its staff earlier this month they need not wear a tie at work.

Tie makers, however, were left hot under the collar. "Italy confirms that it is a strange country," Flavio Cima said in a letter to financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore under the headline: "I, tie maker, am responsible for global warming".

"We can now happily continue with our lifestyle, using cars, consuming fuel, heating and cooling our homes at leisure. On one condition: We should not wear a tie while we do so," he wrote. Italy is one of the EU's worst performers on the pollution front and is among the EU countries expected to exceed their greenhouse gas emission targets.