Italy's health ministry put 12 cities under the worst heat warning on Tuesday as a wave of hot air from Africa scorched southern Europe and the Balkans. Temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius, with the worst yet to come, it said euronews.com.
Croatia recorded the highest temperatures on the Adriatic Sea, with the thermometer reaching nearly 30C in the southern walled city of Dubrovnik, the country's most popular tourist destination. In Serbia, the state energy company reported record energy consumption on Tuesday due to the use of air conditioners.
Municipal authorities in several southern European and Balkan cities took measures to look after the elderly in particular, as civil defense teams called for water-dropping planes like Canadair to put out wildfires raging in southern Italy and North Macedonia.
Greece bans some forms of outdoor work
In Greece, municipalities made air-conditioned spaces available to the public. Some forms of outdoor work were banned, such as manual labour, deliveries and construction, during the hottest part of the day when temperatures reached 40C.
Temperatures are expected to reach 42C on Wednesday and Thursday in several countries. Spain's national meteorological service said thermometers could reach 44C in the southern Guadalquivir river basin in the coming days.
In Albania, where temperatures were expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius, a 72-year-old man was found dead on his farm in Memaliai, 200 kilometers south of the capital Tirana, with the heat believed to be the cause of death.
In Tirana itself, high temperatures and winds have fueled wildfires from south to north in recent weeks.
Hundreds of forest fires are raging in North Macedonia
For the second time this month, North Macedonia faced a heatwave with temperatures reaching 42C. About 200 forest fires have been raging across the country since the beginning of the month, with one firefighter injured so far. The government declared a month-long crisis.
For Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia, it was the second week in which temperatures hovered around 40C, with the Bosnian city of Mostar recording such high temperatures for the sixth consecutive day. Meteorologists said the heat wave was expected to peak on Tuesday and slowly ease towards the end of the week.
Romania and neighboring Moldova have also been gripped by an intense heatwave this past week, with temperatures in the two countries' capitals of Bucharest and Chisinau respectively exceeding 40C this week.
It's hottest in Italy
Italy's health ministry has placed 12 cities - from Trieste in the north to Rome in the center - under a red heat alert, the highest level of alert. In cities under such warnings, everyone — not just the elderly or young children — is urged to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day and avoid vigorous outdoor exercise and heavy meals.
Palermo, Sicily, is expected to join the list of code red cities on Wednesday, the health ministry said.
The brutal heat wave that has hit southern Europe has so far spared Paris, which is due to host the Olympics later this month. Temperatures were relatively cool at 22C on Tuesday, although they were expected to rise later in the week, only to drop again after the weekend.