ANKARA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A heat wave from North Africa has engulfed Turkey since last week, pushing temperatures above 40 Celsius degrees, forcing thousands to stay indoors, and causing forest fires.
Istanbul saw a 106-year high temperature record broken, with the 37.2 Celsius degrees observed in Istanbul on June 29, said Adil Tek, head of Bogazici University Kandilli meteorological observatory, quoted by daily Hurriyet.
Summer temperatures in Istanbul usually feel even hotter due to the city's high humidity levels nearing 50 percent.
Health officials urged locals to avoid staying outdoors under the sizzling sun between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., adding that especially children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses should avoid direct exposure to sunlight.
In capital Ankara, temperatures soared to 41 Celsius degree Monday, with roads and big avenues deserted by locals in downtown.
The city, usually cooler than most big cities because of its altitude and continental location, was definitively not exempted from the excessive heat.
Despite that Ankara is free from high humidity amid heat, the weather is still "unbearable," especially in the afternoon, said a shopkeeper from the central Tunali Hilmi avenue, generally a lively meeting point for locals with shops, pubs and restaurants.
The shopkeeper added that clients are only asking for bottled water in such weather, and ayran, a popular cold yoghurt beverage mixed with salt.
In Antalya province, south of Turkey by the Mediterranean and the top tourist destination, temperatures rose to 45.4 Celsius degree, the highest heat since 1929, announced this province's meteorological institute.
The actual temperatures were 10 degrees above seasonal averages, the institute added.
Antalya is dubbed the "Turkish Riviera" because of its golden beaches and dozens of hotels hosting each year millions of local and foreign tourists.
"It's impossible to go outside unless if it's for something very important. It is boiling. It is like we are in a desert in Saudi Arabia," said Dilek Karakizli Koc, the manager of an accountancy firm of this city.
"People have deserted the streets and beaches of Antalya during the daytime. You can easily collapse from a heat stroke because of these temperatures and it's impossible to bath or sunbath," she said, pointing out that since moving to this city 10 years ago she never witnessed such punishing temperatures even though Antalya is renowned for its sun and heat.
People flock to the seaside after sunset to have some relief with cooler temperatures after a scorching day.
The extensive heat had also a dramatic effect on the forests with no less than 147 fires which flared in western provinces, said Ismail Uzmez, head of the general directorate of forestry.
Uzmez said that some of the fire is still not under control.
The forest fires caused by the scorching heat and dry weather also damaged power lines in western Izmir town and its surroundings, added Uzmez, urging local and foreign visitors to report fires to the 177 hotline.
Meteorologists predict that Turkey will start to cool off with rain starting on July 3.
