Italy puts 15 cities on heatwave alert as summer opens hell's gates on Europe

The Italian government has declared 15 cities, including Rome and Florence, to be at "extreme" health risk as a result of the heatwave that is baking Europe over the weekend.

According to climate scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA), Sicily and Sardinia could experience temperatures as high as 48°C (118.4°F), which would be "potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe."

It is recommended that people in Italy drink lots of water, eat smaller meals, and avoid the sun from 11am to 6pm.

The European Space Agency (ESA) issued a warning, noting that the heatwave in Europe has only recently started and that extreme weather is anticipated in Germany, Spain, France, and Poland at the same time that the region is seeing an increase in tourists.

Greece shut down the Acropolis of Athens on Saturday for a second day in a row despite the oppressive heat. A visitor who was having problems was helped by neighbourhood police on Friday.

There is more anxiety for those who work outside following the death of a 44-year-old construction worker in Italy earlier this week after collapsing on a roadside.

Authorities in Spain issued a warning that the country's typically cooler north is also being affected by the heatwave, in addition to the usual hot spots in the south, CNN reported.

Seville, Cordoba, and Granada in southern Spain have experienced temperatures that have surpassed 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Mediterranean resort island of Mallorca in Spain is also scorching, according to the country's national weather service, with highs of 36 degrees Celsius, or 97 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, temperatures are reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius in Navarra, a typically mild region in the north.

Over 61,000 people perished in Europe's searing summer heat wave last year, making heat one of the deadliest natural hazards.

Further health concerns have been raised by the current heat wave, which has been dubbed "Cerberus" by the Italian Meteorological Society after the three-headed monster from Dante's Inferno.

This is especially true considering that it is occurring during one of the busiest times of the summer travel season in Europe.

This year's heatwave has brought record temperatures, especially across Asia, as many countries, including India, China, Japan, and Pakistan, have seen a surge in heatwave-related deaths and hazards.