A heat wave is sweeping through Turkey, where temperatures in some places rose to over 40 degrees Celsius, significantly above the usual values for the season according to meteorological data, Turkish media reported, quoted by BTA.
In the metropolis of Istanbul, thermometers showed nearly 40 degrees in some areas yesterday, and residents sought refuge in the shade of trees in parks or in the sea, according to private television NTV.
Today, temperatures are also expected to exceed 40 degrees in the Aegean, Mediterranean and Southeastern Turkey regions, and in the Diyarbakir district, the mercury will reach 42 degrees Celsius, meteorologists predict.
In the Edirne district bordering Bulgaria, the forecast is for 38 degrees, and in In Kırklareli, the other district on the border with Bulgaria, the temperature is expected to be around 35 degrees. Residents of Izmir should prepare for greater heat, where thermometers will show 39 degrees, Mugla - 40 degrees, Antalya - 41 degrees, Gaziantep and Siirt - 40 degrees, the Gazete Penjere website reports.
According to a new study for the Mediterranean region, cited in Turkish media, including the news portal Bianet, heat waves increase the risk of death by up to 19.5 percent in Istanbul. This risk is higher in less urbanized areas of the metropolis such as the Princes' Islands, Sariyer and Tuzla, and relatively lower in the central regions of Istanbul, according to the Springer Nature study.
Amid the sharp rise in temperatures, experts are warning citizens not to go outside in the heat unless absolutely necessary, especially between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
According to meteorologists, air temperatures in the country these days are between 5 and 8 degrees above normal for this period of the year, notes the Duvar website. This situation is especially true for Central Anatolia and the southern regions of the country.
The hot weather has also increased the risk of forest fires throughout Turkey. To minimize the risk, teams from the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) have begun distributing information brochures on forest fire prevention to citizens in high-risk areas. They warn against organizing picnics with a fire outside recreation areas, and against throwing unextinguished cigarette butts and any waste that could cause a fire along roads and in forest areas.
Forecasters are reassuring that the country is at the end of the first heat wave of the season and that a cooling off period is expected in many places over the weekend, with temperatures dropping sharply by about ten degrees.
Heavy rain is expected in Istanbul and Ankara on Sunday afternoon. There will be rain on Saturday in the Thrace region, as well as on the country's eastern Black Sea coast, state-run TRT Haber reported.