Italy and the Balkans remained under the grip of a record-breaking heatwave on Monday, raising concerns over the growing risk of wildfires as extreme temperatures continued to disrupt daily life across parts of Europe.
Italy placed 22 cities, from Bolzano in the north to Palermo in Sicily, under a red heat warning. At the Vatican, pilgrims sought relief from the heat with fans and umbrellas as Pope Leo delivered his Angelus message during the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.
In Croatia, authorities issued a red weather alert for several regions, including Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik. Firefighters, supported by four aircraft, continued battling a wildfire burning through pine forests on the Adriatic island of Vis.
Serbia's State Hydrometeorological Service warned temperatures could reach 39 degrees Celsius on Monday, while neighbouring Albania contained a wildfire near the southern village of Klos after it burned large areas of bushes and olive trees over the weekend.
Scientists said the heatwave, which began on June 20, is the worst recorded in Europe. They said the extreme conditions have disrupted power generation, damaged infrastructure and placed significant pressure on healthcare systems.
France has reported 1,000 excess deaths linked to the heatwave, with public health officials warning the toll is expected to rise, particularly among older people.
Scientists also said the heatwave would have been "virtually impossible" without human-caused climate change, which has made this week's exceptionally high night-time temperatures 100 times more likely than they would have been two decades ago.
Luca Mercalli, president of Italy's Meteorological Society, said temperatures are expected to rise again from July 5–6.
"The areas affected look broadly the same as in the first wave, including France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and to some extent Britain," he told Reuters.
"With the extreme heat the risk of forest fires increases, but we are also seeing a lot of rainstorms, which obviously mitigates that risk," he added, noting that storms remain highly localised.
The heatwave was also linked to further tragedies over the weekend. Two boys, aged 8 and 10 from Bulgaria, were found dead inside a hot car in Cyprus, while two cyclists, aged 30 and 71, died during the Poland Bike Marathon near Warsaw as temperatures in Poland reached a record 40.5 degrees Celsius.
