Costa del Sol hit by ‘mini-tsunami’ caused by Saharan heat surge with Brits facing 47C sizzler

A COSTA del Sol resort has been hit by a freak “mini-tsunami” caused by a blowtorch Sarahan heat dome that is forecast to send temperatures in Spain rocketing to 47C.

The bizarre rise in the tide was sparked by a hellish heat wave moving in from Africa swept through the coastal town of Santa Pola this morning.

Facebook/policialocalsantapolaA sudden change in atmospheric pressure sparked the mini-tsunami as suffocating heat feeds in from Africa[/caption]

The heat wave is set to send temperature to dangerously high levels

The rare tidal phenomena flooded the beach, promenade and nearby streets with cars damaged and boats set adrift.

It was caused by a dramatic drop in atmospheric pressure as scorching hot, dry air pushes in from North Africa, bringing with it record temperatures.

With the mercury in the Med already soaring beyond 40C,  Spanish, Portuguese and Italian forecasters have issued heat alerts.

Spain’s weather service, AEMET, said the stifling heat wave will last until at least Monday

A spokesman said: “Mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands are facing a probable heatwave.

“This could lead to adverse effects on people’s health and to a significant risk of forest fires.”

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa urged people to take special care amid the scorching weather and wildfire danger, adding that many wildfires start with careless behavior.

MrCosta said the terrible images from Greece and Turkey in recent days brought back Portuguese memories of 2017.

He said: “We don’t want to see that scenario here again.”

Meanwhile, a blistering heat wave is sweeping across Italy this week, fuelling fires in the south of the country, notably Sicily and Calabria, where a UNESCO-designated natural park is threatened.

Temperatures hit 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sicily yesterday, near Syracuse, with meteorologists warning that Italy’s all-time record of 48.5 degrees, in Sicily in 1999, could be beaten today.

Elsewhere in the south of Italy, an anticyclone dubbed Lucifer was forecast to send the mercury rising to 39 to 42C before sweeping northwards,.

Weekend temperatures are expected to beup to 40C in the central regions of Tuscany and Lazio, which includes Rome.

On Monday, the UN released a major report showing how the threat from global warming is even more acute than previously thought.

It highlighted how scientists are quantifying the extent to which human-induced warming increases extreme weather events, such as a heatwaves or a wildfires.

AlamySunseeking Brits are set to get more than they bargined for as the heat wave takes hold[/caption]

AlamyAlready the temperature is soaring[/caption]