European satellite aims to monitor extreme weather
As many European countries simmer in a deadly heatwave, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) said its MetOp-SGA1 satellite will give 'earlier warnings to help protect lives and property from extreme weather'.
'Metop-SGA1 observations will help meteorologists improve short- and medium-term weather models that can save lives by enabling early warnings of storms, heatwaves, and other disasters, and help farmers to protect crops, grid operators to manage energy supply, and pilots and sailors to navigate safely,' the agency added.
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Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
European satellite aims to monitor extreme weather
The Ariane 6 rocket yesterday blasted off carrying Europe's next generation satellite for warning against extreme weather events. As many European countries simmer in a deadly heatwave, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) said its MetOp-SGA1 satellite will give 'earlier warnings to help protect lives and property from extreme weather'. 'Metop-SGA1 observations will help meteorologists improve short- and medium-term weather models that can save lives by enabling early warnings of storms, heatwaves, and other disasters, and help farmers to protect crops, grid operators to manage energy supply, and pilots and sailors to navigate safely,' the agency added.
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
Thousands battle Greece fires as heatwave bakes Europe
TDT| Agencies Greece battled a dozen major wildfires on Wednesday, including one threatening its thirdlargest city Patras, as a heatwave stoked blazes and forced the evacuation of thousands in southern Europe. Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Balkans and Britain have this week wilted in high temperatures that fuel wildfires and which scientists say human-induced climate change is intensifying. Greece Thousands of firefighters backed by the army deployed across Greece, with fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis saying 'the situation remains difficult' for 'forces waging a tough battle'. 'It's a cocktail of high temperatures, strong winds... and minimal humidity,' the head of civil protection for Western Greece, Nikos Gyftakis, told public broadcaster ERT. AFP journalists saw residents and firefighters backed by helicopters frantically attempt to douse flames in scrubland and forests outside Patras, with thick smoke reducing visibility. Officials evacuated 12 children from a Patras hospital, Vathrakogiannis said. Eighty elderly people were removed from a retirement home, and local media footage showed the roof of a nearby 17th-century monastery ablaze. Other fronts were burning on the popular Ionian tourist islands of Zante and Cephalonia and the Aegean island of Chios, scarred by a huge wildfire in June that ravaged more than 4,000 hectares. Around 20 villages were evacuated in the western Achaia region on Tuesday, while the Greek coastguard said nearly 80 people were removed from Chios and near Patras. Vathrakogiannis said 71 people had received medical care, mostly in the western town of Preveza and the Patras area. After Greece requested four water bombers from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to bolster its resources, the main opposition PASOK Socialist party questioned the conservative government's preparedness for fires that strike every year. 'A fully reformed civil protection system with an emphasis on prevention is required,' PASOK said, identifying a poor coordination of forces and a lack of local emergency plans that made firefighting 'extremely challenging'. Spain Wildfires dominated the news in Spain, where flames have threatened a world heritage Roman mining site in the northwestern region of Castile and Leon. Regional authorities said almost 6,000 people from 26 localities had been evacuated from their homes, while seven people had been admitted to hospital for burns, including four in critical condition. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said late Wednesday that Spain had asked the European Union for help, including the deployment of two water-bombing planes. He urged European partners to deploy the planes quickly given 'weather forecasts' that could worsen the blazes, telling broadcaster Cadena Ser radio that Spain would also request firefighter deployments if necessary. Bushy undergrowth and searing temperatures that have baked Spain for almost two weeks had created 'the worst possible breeding ground for this situation', said Castile and Leon's civil protection head Irene Cortes. A total of 199 wildfires have scorched nearly 98,784 hectares (244,100 acres) across Spain this year -- more than double the area burned during the same period in 2024. Portugal Neighbouring Portugal deployed more than 2,100 firefighters and 20 aircraft against five major blazes, with efforts focused on a fire in the central municipality of Trancoso that has raged since Saturday. Strong gusts of wind had rekindled flames overnight and threatened nearby villages, where television images showed locals volunteering to help firefighters under a thick cloud of smoke. 'It's scary... but we are always ready to help each other,' a mask-wearing farmer told Sic Noticias television, holding a spade in his hand. A separate fire in a mountainous zone of Arganil in central Portugal smothered several villages with smoke, prompting the evacuation of elderly residents in particular. Balkans Dozens of blazes stretched emergency services in the Balkans, where a severe drought and a prolonged heatwave have exacerbated the region's traditional fire season. An 80-yearold man died in Albania late Tuesday after he lost control of a fire he had started in his garden. The blaze quickly spread to neighbouring homes, injuring eight people. Authorities have evacuated residents in parts of central and southern Albania, but easing weather conditions in neighbouring Montenegro helped firefighters protect homes. The country mourned a soldier who died in a water truck overturn near the capital Podgorica on Tuesday, with the defence ministry speaking of a 'heavy loss'. Britain Historically temperate Britain sweated through its fourth heatwave of the summer, with the previously unthinkable prospect of wildfires now a real threat. A blaze in northern England's North York Moors national park was declared a 'major incident' on Wednesday and covered around five square kilometres (nearly two square miles), firefighters said.
Daily Tribune
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- Daily Tribune
Greece Seeks EU Aid as Wildfires Rage Amid Scorching Heatwave
AFP | Athens Greece has appealed for European Union assistance to combat a wave of wildfires that have erupted across multiple regions, as a searing heatwave pushes temperatures beyond 45°C and strong winds intensify the flames. Fires have been reported near Athens, as well as on the Peloponnese peninsula and the islands of Crete, Euboea, and Kythera, according to Fire Brigade spokesman Yiannis Vathrakogiannis. 'The hard part is ahead of us,' he cautioned during a media briefing. Red Alert Issued Several regions have been placed under the highest wildfire alert — Red Category 5 — due to extremely hot and dry conditions. 'In the last 24 hours alone, 52 fires erupted, of which 44 were immediately brought under control,' Vathrakogiannis said. Greece has activated the EU's RescEU mechanism, requesting six firefighting aircraft to support ongoing containment efforts. Czech firefighting units are already operating on the ground as part of the European response, local media confirmed. Villages Evacuated One of the most challenging fire fronts was just 30 kilometers north of Athens, where authorities ordered the evacuation of the village of Drosopigi. Several homes there were engulfed in flames as high winds drove the fire through residential areas. Another front reached the nearby village of Kryoneri, where houses were also reported to be burning, municipal adviser Giannis Moniakis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency. As the nation braces for further extreme weather, firefighters continue to battle the blazes with support from EU partners expected to arrive soon.
