Hungary expected to be Europe's hotspot today

Hungary will be the hottest place in Europe today, according to forecasts, with temperatures of 40-41C breaking the Budapest and national records for this date. The crest of the heat wave is expected on Friday, at 42C.

A 100-year-old record was broken in Budapest on Tuesday, as temperatures reached 38.6C. This could become the second hottest year in Hungary since recordings began in 1860, Napi Gazdaság writes.

Officials are again warning of high ultraviolet radiation levels today.

Ambulances were alerted 30% more often on Tuesday than on average summer days, especially as the number of calls soared after 2 p.m. Unlike in other European countries, no deaths occurred due to the heat. Ambulance crews mainly treated cardiovascular problems, but there were conspicuously many young people who also needed treatment. Medics said people felt ill particularly at workplaces, shopping centres and bus stops.

Fees for visits to doctors will be waived for emergency treatment, Health Minister Ágnes Horváth announced.

Some 22,000 bottles of water and 10-15,000 plastic bags full of water were distributed at ten intersections in Budapest on Tuesday. The Mayor's Office opened nearly 100 cooled public places, such as hospitals, nursing homes, homeless hostels and cultural institutions to give pedestrians some relief from the blazing heat. The Fifth District mayor's office set up sprinkling units for pedestrians in Honvéd tér, Szabadság tér and Károlyi kert.

There is no need to restrict the consumption of drinking water throughout Hungary, as public water providers have made adequate preparations to cope with the growing water consumption, Népszabadság writes.

Police, fire-fighters and motorway operators have a joint plan to handle traffic jams on highways during the heat wave. Water will be distributed to stranded drivers if tie-ups occur.

The above story is just one of more than two dozen published today by Hungary Around the Clock, the most comprehensive source of daily English-language news about Hungary. For a free trial of HATC, click here. Hungarian news sources include Népszabadság; Magyar Hírlap; Világgazdaság; Napi Gazdaság; Magyar Nemzet; Népszava; Kossuth Rádió news and Hungarian television's nightly news broadcast.

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