According to an expert's prediction, an unprecedented heat wave is anticipated to continue its effect in Türkiye in the upcoming days with temperatures in the southeastern region bordering Syria expected to hit 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
Professor Şermin Tağıl, head of the Geography Department at Bakırçay University in western Izmir, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that global average temperatures since the beginning of July have risen to an unprecedented level that has never been documented in human history.
"These increases in global average temperatures cannot be expected to be the same in all parts of the world. The Mediterranean basin, in which Türkiye is located, draws attention as one of the places where the increase in average temperatures is most evident,” she said.
The city of Cizre in the southeastern Şırnak province, which borders Syria, registered a maximum temperature of 49.1 degrees Celsius on July 20, 2021, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Türkiye.
However, with the current heat wave, this record may be shattered, with temperatures expected to reach 50 degrees Celsius in the same region, Tağıl predicted.
"In our country, hot weather conditions that are expected to last for seven days and can have devastating effects on the geography and people,” she said, adding that, "During this seven-day period, temperature records for many years will be broken in Türkiye.”
In addition, she predicted that hot weather conditions would persist until the end of the month, particularly in the country's western and southern regions.
"The greatest threat will be to human, plant and animal health as heat waves will disproportionately harm the elderly, newborns, outdoor laborers and those suffering from chronic ailments,” she said.
Humidity, especially in coastal areas, is likely to rise and may cause more suffocating air, she said, asking vulnerable individuals to exercise caution and remain indoors.
"In our country, red pine forests with high flammability are common. Temperature rises can spark fires, particularly in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. It is necessary to be prepared for this scenario," she warned.
The temperatures in the coastal cities of the south and southwest reached the high 30s (about 97-102 degrees Fahrenheit) and low 40s (104-109 degrees Fahrenheit). The tourism hot spot of Antalya witnessed a high of 45 Celsius.
According to the reports of Demirören News Agency (DHA) Sunday, through the measurements conducted across Türkiye, Antalya's Kaş and Muğla's Köyceğiz district, were found to be the hottest spots in the country, peaking at 45.9 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
In the northwestern cities of Edirne, Kırklareli and Tekirdağ, 48 people were taken to emergency rooms with symptoms of heat stroke in the past two days, AA reported on Saturday.
The heat wave was also taking its toll on water levels in Istanbul, the country's largest city. The main water supply at the Omerli Dam reservoir, already at 41% capacity due to low rainfall, was losing 17,000 tons of water an hour after midday, Levent Kurnaz of Boğaziçi's University's Center for Climate Change and Policy Studies told local media on Thursday.
Meanwhile, citizens across the country are seeking alternative methods to cool off.
Seeking respite from the sweltering temperatures, both locals and tourists are flocking to the magnificent Sineber Waterfall in southeastern Hakkari.
Meanwhile in the Çubukli district of southern Alanya, amid their arduous excavation tasks, a group of six truck drivers converted their truck trailer into a refreshing pool, defying the relentless heat, as per AA reports.
