Red warnings, record-breaking temperatures, and special measures for the elderly. The heat has taken hold of several European countries – where temperatures are expected to reach around 42 degrees in several places on Wednesday and Thursday.
Twelve Italian cities have been under the highest heat warning since Tuesday. It's over 40 degrees hot, but the temperature is expected to rise further.
It's hellishly hot, says Spanish tourist Carmen Díaz in Rome.
The zoo in the Italian capital plans to give the animals ice cream later in the week, in an attempt to offer some cooling.
In Greece, the most visited tourist attraction, the Acropolis in Athens, will be closed during the hottest hours on Wednesday due to the heat wave.
The temperature in the Adriatic Sea reached almost record-high 30 degrees in Croatian Dubrovnik. In Serbia, the state-owned power company reports record-breaking consumption due to extensive use of air conditioning.
Municipalities in several cities in Southern Europe and the Balkans have taken special measures to protect the health of the elderly. North Macedonia is facing a heat wave for the second time in July, and around 200 forest fires have ravaged the country since the beginning of the month.
