ZAGREB, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Split, Croatia's second-largest city, recorded its highest-ever air temperature on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 39.7 degrees Celsius at 2 p.m. local time (1200 GMT), according to the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service. The reading surpassed the previous record of 39.5 degrees Celsius, set on June 30 this year.
The new record comes amid a prolonged heatwave and drought affecting large parts of Croatia this summer.
In eastern Croatia, rivers including the Danube and Drava have fallen to their lowest levels due to scarce rainfall and reduced snowmelt from the Alps. Persistent low river levels have disrupted cargo shipping on the rivers.
The extreme heat has also fueled a sharp rise in wildfires across the country. Croatia has recorded 29,358 firefighting interventions since the beginning of the year through Aug. 10, including 8,832 wildfires, according to the Croatian Firefighting Association.
The number of open-air fires was about 13 percent higher than in the same period last year, the association said. ■