Slovakia must prepare for an extremely difficult period, which will start already on Friday, warns a specialized website. Although the arrival of the predicted heat has been delayed by a day, it will hit all the more intensely. Temperatures in our territory will quickly exceed the tropical 30 °C, while in the west of the country they can attack up to 35 °C.
However, the real problem this time will not only be the readings on the thermometers, but above all the enormous humidity, which will begin to flow into our area. It is the combination of high temperatures and saturated air that creates unbearable suffocation, which is much more stressful for the human body than ordinary dry heat. At high humidity, sweat evaporates from the skin much more slowly, so the body loses its natural ability to thermoregulate and cool down.
Meteorologists draw attention to the high values of the so-called dew point, which will exceed the critical threshold of 18 to 19 °C. The air will thus feel heavy, which will bring faster fatigue and difficulty breathing even during normal outdoor activities. The first wave of extreme suffocation will fully manifest itself in the early evening of Friday and smoothly pass into an extremely unpleasant Saturday. The weekend morning and morning will bring heavy, humid air over almost the entire territory of Slovakia.
Residents of lowlands and larger cities can expect the worst situation, where heat accumulated in buildings, concrete and asphalt will be added to the humidity. The perceived temperature there will significantly exceed the actual measured values from the early hours of the morning, as the buildings will radiate heat long after sunset.
The culmination of this grueling weather is expected on Sunday, which was supposed to be the temperature maximum of the whole wave according to the original forecasts. The approaching cold front may slightly lower the absolute temperatures, but at the same time it will push even more moisture into the air, creating probably the most sultry day of the entire week.
This highly labile mixture of hot and extremely humid air transforms into cloud formation during the day. The dangerously suffocating atmosphere will thus be interrupted by intense showers and strong storms with a high probability.
