Sicily breaks European record for highest temperature at 48.8°C

The Italian island of Sicily yesterday entered the European record books after the temperature hit a high of 48.8°C in the city of Floridia in Syracuse.

The previous European record was held by Athens when temperatures there soared to 48°C back in 1977.

Temperatures reached their highest point at 1:14pm with Floridia’s mayor saying the city had never seen temperatures anywhere close to yesterday’s.

Sicily is caught right in the middle of the anticyclone nicknamed Lucifer, which has caused a massive heatwave across the central Mediterranean.

The neighbouring island will continue to bake in desert-like temperatures today with forecasters predicting that the temperatures could rise even further.

Sicily is also battling forest fires, which have also ravaged other southern regions in mainland Italy.

Malta also experienced hot weather on Wednesday but the temperature was shy of the 42°C that was forecasted. 

A spokesperson for the Meteorological Office at Malta International Airport said that the highest temperature reached in Luqa yesterday was 40.1°C.

“The forecasted temperature was not reached because the localised wind speeds which were observed early in the afternoon were higher than expected. Nonetheless, towards the southern part of the island, a maximum temperature of 41.1°C was recorded from Bengħajsa,” the Met Office said.