‘Red alert’ travel advice for anyone going to Spain, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus

Tourists are being warned about “record-breaking temperatures” in Europe this summer with a red alert issued for hot weather.

Anyone planning to travel to countries including Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Spain is being asked to take precautions against the heat. The unseasonal heatwave has been caused by southerly winds bringing heat and dust from North Africa.

Meteorologist Panos Giannopoulos told the Greek state television channel, ERT: “This heatwave will go down in history.” Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Office has “updated” its travel advice for the European nations, reports BirminghamLive.

Panos went on: “In the 20th century, we never had a heatwave before June 19. We have had several in the 21st century, but none before June 15.” In Majorca, the Balearic Islands have been hit by heavy flooding in recent days – sparking airport chaos.

The storm brought all activity to a halt at Son Sant Joan airport, Spain’s third-biggest, due to the “impossibility of operating safely”, operator Aena AENA.MC said in a statement. In Turkey, the temperatures have hit the mid-30s, while in Greece, it has topped a staggering 45C.

Ahead of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris in France, authors of a report ‘Rings of Fire: Heat Risks at the 2024 Paris Olympics’ warned “The fact that the Olympics will take place during high summer means that the threat of a devastating hot spell is a very real one.”

University of Reading meteorologist Rosie Mammatt told The Telegraph: “We are already seeing very hot temperatures in the Mediterranean basin, and it looks like the summer could provide some more record-breaking temperatures. Sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic have been extremely high for a significant period of time, which has been influencing the weather we are getting. This will continue to affect temperatures and precipitation over Europe this summer.”