Warning issued to travellers going to Turkey, Greece and Cyprus on holiday this half term

A weather warning has been issued to holidaymakers heading to locations such as Turkey, Cyprus and Greece this coming half term.

While the UK shivers in a premature cold snap, a number of countries continue to experience the heatwave experienced across Europe over the summer.

The heatwave has been so prominent, in fact, that records for the hottest October day were broken in Antalya last weekend, when the mercury hit 41C, according to some weather stations.

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According to meteorologist Yaser Turker, this was the hottest October day in Turkey since 1930.

He wrote: “Antalya experienced a historical day in terms of temperature.

“Antalya Airport experienced the hottest October day since 1930 with 41.2C (Central 40.4C) due to the blow-drying of the hot air coming from Africa and descending to the bay from N and NW. 41.2C is also Turkey’s October record.”

According to Arabia Weather, the temperature spike is a result of wind descending from the tops of the Taurus mountains in a weather phenomenon called ‘Foehn wind’.

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Foehn winds are typically found in mountainous regions around the world, such as the Alps, the Rockies in the United States, Tianshan and Qinling in China.

While these temperatures have cooled in the past two days to a more manageable 30C across Turkey’s southern coast, the mercury’s highpoint this weekend is a reminder of how extreme the heat could remain.

So, Brits planning on heading to any of these destinations during the upcoming half term have been warned to prepare for unusually warm conditions.