Extreme heatwave reaches the Balkans — the strongest impact due Wednesday
Forecasters now expect the most intense heat in the middle of the week; authorities urge hydration and caution as red warnings appear in parts of the region.
A powerful heatwave sweeping across much of Europe is now reaching the Balkans, bringing what forecasters describe as extreme temperatures to several countries — and a peak expected in the middle of the week.
Peak midweek: hottest day now forecast for Wednesday
Regional models have shifted their timing: the hottest day is no longer expected on Tuesday but on Wednesday, when thermometers could climb to unusually high values across the peninsula. Forecasters warn that a brief cool-down toward the end of the week may be short-lived.
Slavcho Poposki addressed the situation in a short video posted to his Facebook page. He said: "An extremely warm wave is hitting the Balkans, very hot in North Macedonia too!"
Authorities in neighbouring countries have already raised the alert level. In Serbia and Croatia meteorological services registered conditions that correspond to a red-phase heat warning, indicating a high risk of dangerous heat for the public.
The situation is particularly dramatic in Austria, where meteorologists place the probability at about 75 percent that the country's absolute temperature record — 40.5 degrees measured in August 2013 — could be exceeded during this episode.
Across Europe, weather services are urging people to take precautions: stay hydrated, avoid strenuous outdoor activity in the hottest hours and pay special attention to vulnerable groups as long, hot days combined with tropical nights increase health and infrastructure risks amid a background of increasingly intense summer extremes linked to climate change.
Photo: press material from the event
