Heatwave dries up lake in Serbia, triggers fires in Balkan ‘extreme weather event’
On Wednesday, Serbia’s public health institute declared dangerous conditions in 10 municipalities. A day earlier, the capital Belgrade recorded its hottest-ever Jul 16, with a temperature of 38.4 degrees Celsius.
The Adriatic Sea hovered at temperatures around a record-high 29.5 degrees Celsius in several coastal resorts of Croatia.
FOREST FIRES
North Macedonia and Albania both deployed firefighters, airplanes, and helicopters this week to fight forest fires in their countries. On Sunday, North Macedonia declared a state of emergency due to forest fires.
In a regional climate report on Wednesday, the World Bank warned that the economies of the Western Balkans needed to invest at least US$37 billion in total over the next decade to protect people and property from the impact of climate change.
The Western Balkans comprise Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
In other parts of Europe, Italy is also expected to face blistering heat, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius. Searing temperatures have also impacted countries like Greece, France, Spain, Poland, and Ukraine.
