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Europe witnesses highest temperature recorded in history at +48.8°C

01:30

Europe witnesses highest temperature recorded in history at +48.8°C

Europe has witnessed the highest temperature recorded in history at +48.8°C at Siracusa, Sicily in Italy.

On August 11, temperatures on the Italian island of Sicily reached 119.8F, or 48.8C, as the result of an anticyclone, nicknamed Lucifer, moving north from Africa.

The BBC reports that the record-breaking temperature still needs to be verified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

According to the WMO, the current official record in Europe is 48C, which was registered in 1977 in Athens, Greece.

Lucifer is expected to continue north across Italy, raising temperatures as it goes, including in the capital, Rome.

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