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Greece sizzles under heat wave
25/07/2007 12:01 - (SA)
Athens - Greece was bracing for some of its hottest weather of the year on Wednesday as a week-long Balkans heat wave - the second major one of the summer - was set to peak, along with fears of more power disruptions and wildfires.
Much of central and southern Greece, including Athens, was set to swelter in 45°C temperatures on Wednesday - approaching the year's high of 46°C measured in late June. Most parts were expected to exceed 40°C.
Temperatures across the Balkans remain high during a heat wave that has claimed at least 27 lives in Romania and has contributed to some 500 deaths in Hungary.
Thousands of hectares of forest land have been torched in Italy, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia and Greece in the tinderbox conditions.
Greek forests were subject to 24-hour fire patrols, while more than 1 000 additional firefighters were being rushed into action as a number of fires in northern Greece continued to blaze.
Record power, water demand
Officials at Greece's state-run Public Power Corporation were carefully monitoring the national electricity grid after widespread power cuts on Tuesday following the all-time record demand on Monday.
On Tuesday many parts of the western Balkans suffered system breakdowns and hours-long blackouts, including Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia. Northern Greece suffered knock-on electricity cuts while many other areas were hit by the corporation's policy of rolling power cuts to stave off a potential general blackout.
Two damaged power plants were back online early on Wednesday, but power officials again appealed to consumers to restrict peak-hour use, especially with air conditioners.
Water consumption was also at an all-time high on Tuesday, while power cuts disrupted rural irrigation systems.
Meteorologists said cooler air should start filtering into Greece by Thursday, but no rain is forecast to relieve the parched conditions.
- AP
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