European heatwave will hit 44C, holidaymakers are warned

Italy put 14 cities under the highest alert with temperatures expected to climb past 40C, especially in central and southern regions, on Thursday.

The health ministry said on Friday it would extend the emergency warning to 17 cities with the heat expected to last until Sunday.

Temperatures of 38C were expected in Sicily on Sunday but because of the humidity, it could feel much warmer. In Palermo, it could feel as hot as 44C.

It is expected to be 37C in Rome on Saturday, far hotter than the daily average maximum temperature of 29.3C.

‘One spark can cause a major catastrophe’

The second heatwave of  the Greek summer brought forest fires and temperatures of up to 43C on Thursday.

Firefighters battled one blaze in a village close to Thessaloniki and a fire on Kea, an island near Athens, forced the evacuation of two areas.

“We appeal to the public to be particularly careful as over the next few days there is a very high risk of the outbreak of serious wildfires,” Pavlos Marinakis, a government spokesperson, said. “Even one spark can cause a major catastrophe.”