Heatwave in Europe: Travel warning as red heat alert issued in Italy and scorching 40C temperatures hit Greece, Spain and Croatia

Greece is experiencing its 12th consecutive day of a heatwave today (Friday 19 July) with temperatures forecast to reach 43C. Meteorologists have warned that there is going to be little respite over the coming days with a “hot air bubble” from Africa set to bake the country and wider region until Sunday (21 July).

Greece has been ravaged by wildfires over recent weeks, with the latest breaking out in Sofiko in the western region of Corinthia on Wednesday (17 July). Dozens of firefighters battled the blaze and four people were reportedly injured, including one who suffered a heart attack and had to be taken to hospital.

Tourist hotspots throughout the Mediterranean are set to see scorching temperatures, with excessive heat alerts in place in Croatia and Spain. Spain’s Met Office AEMET said the peak of the heat will be today when most areas will warm up to 40C. Heatwave warnings are in place for large swathes of the country, including the Balearic Islands.

According to Meteo Express, France is expected to see soaring temperatures over the coming days, adding that the 30C mark is expected to be exceeded from Thursday to Saturday (20 July). The thermometer could hit 39C in the Toulouse area adored by British tourists.

Meanwhile, in Italy there is a severe heat warning across the country. In the capital Rome, a tourist who was trying to keep cool with a fan said: “It's hellishly hot... these fans help a little too, but it's really hot.” A severe drought in Sicily has caused the island's only natural lake to dry up with pictures showing the severely diminished water source.

In Croatia, the highest-ever temperature in the Adriatic Sea was recorded this week, with a buoy thermometer reaching nearly 30C off Dubrovnik, the country's most popular tourism spot. It is the second week that temperatures have been hovering around 40C in the region, with neighbouring Bosnia and Serbia also hit by the heat.

Serbia's state power company reported record consumption on Tuesday (16 July) due to the need for air conditioning in homes. In Albania, the heat led the government to reschedule working hours for civil servants, making it easier for some to work from home. 

In Romania an orange heatwave alert is in place and one person has reportedly died due to the heat. Several cities across Ukraine have also been recording historically high temperatures, officials said on Wednesday.