'It's hell outside': Sizzling heat wave in parts of southern and central Europe prompts alerts

‘It’s hell outside': Sizzling heat wave in parts of southern and central Europe prompts alerts

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A sizzling heat wave has sent temperatures in parts of central and southern Europe soaring toward 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places. From Italy to Romania, authorities warned people to be cautious, drive carefully if going on holiday, drink plenty of water and avoid going out during the hottest hours of the day. (AP video shot by: Paulo Lucariello, Paolo Santalucia and Ivana Bzganovic)

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Animals at Prague Zoo were given tons of ice on Wednesday to provide much-needed relief from the summer heat. Zoo officials said ice will be distributed throughout the summer to help the animals keep cool. (AP video/Petr David Josek)

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A municipal worker cools off standing next to a city fountain in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, July 11, 2024, as temperatures exceeded 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 Fahrenheit). The national weather forecaster issued a red warning for the coming week, as temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

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People enjoy the sun on a beach at Serebryany Bor park in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

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A man shields from the sun with a paper umbrella in front of Rome’s Pantheon during a heat wave, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Italian authorities declared a red weather alert in seven cities on Thursday, mostly in the central parts of the country but also the capital Rome and Trieste in the northeast, near the border with Slovenia and Croatia. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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A man takes a photo of the temperature of 43 degrees C (109 degrees F) recorded in the sun outside a pharmacy in downtown Rome, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

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A boy dives into the Cijevna river near Montenegro’s capital Podgorica, as temperatures soared to 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 Fahrenheit) on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Weather alerts, forest fires, melting pavement in cities: A sizzling heat wave has sent temperatures in parts of central and southern Europe soaring toward 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

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A woman cools off at a fountain in downtown Rome, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

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A girl cools off in the Barcaccia fountain near the Spanish Steps in downtown Rome, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

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A child cools her hands in the Barcaccia fountain near the Spanish Steps in downtown Rome, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

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A woman shakes out her hair by a fountain in Piazza del Popolo Square in downtown Rome, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

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A polar bear cools down in ice that was brought to its enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Prague zoo, Czech Republic, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

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A man walks his dog on a hot evening in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, July 11, 2024, as temperatures exceeded 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 Fahrenheit). The national weather forecaster issued a red warning for the coming week, as temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

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Tourists line up to fill their water bottles and cool off at the Barcaccia fountain beneath the Spanish Steps in downtown Rome, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

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Men play in the Moskva river at Serebryany Bor park in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Warm weather has settled in Moscow with a temperature of 30 Celsius, (86 Fahrenheit) and will increase in the coming days. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

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Tourists cool off at a fountain in front of the Sforzesco Castle in Milan, Italy, Thursday, July 11, 2024. A heat wave swept Italy on Thursday prompting health officials to issue a red alert for seven cities mostly in central Italy, including the capital Rome but also extending to the northern Adriatic city of Trieste on the border with Slovenia. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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Tourists shelter from the sun as they pass by a fountain in front of the Sforzesco Castle in Milan, Italy, Thursday, July 11, 2024. A heat wave swept Italy on Thursday prompting health officials to issue a red alert for seven cities mostly in central Italy, including the capital Rome but also extending to the northern Adriatic city of Trieste on the border with Slovenia. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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A family sits next to a city fountain in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, July 11, 2024, as temperatures exceeded 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 Fahrenheit). The national weather forecaster issued a red warning for the coming week, as temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

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A municipal worker walks by a city fountain in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, July 11, 2024, as temperatures exceeded 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 Fahrenheit). The national weather forecaster issued a red warning for the coming week, as temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

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People enjoy the sun on a beach at Serebryany Bor park in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Warm weather has settled in Moscow with a temperature of 30 Celsius, (86 Fahrenheit) and will increase in the coming days. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

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Women sitting on SUP-boards, watch a raft of ducks in Moskva river at Serebryany Bor park in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Warm weather has settled in Moscow with a temperature of 30 Celsius, (86 Fahrenheit) and will increase in the coming days. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

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A woman paddles on a SUP-board in Moskva river at Serebryany Bor park in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Warm weather has settled in Moscow with a temperature of 30 Celsius, (86 Fahrenheit) and will increase in the coming days. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

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Polar bears cool down in ice that was brought to their enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Prague zoo, Czech Republic, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

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An otter eats fish on a pile of ice that was brought to its enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Prague zoo, Czech Republic, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

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A woman sits on a SUP-board in Moskva river at Serebryany Bor park in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Warm weather has settled in Moscow with a temperature of 30 Celsius, (86 Fahrenheit) and will increase in the coming days. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

By JOVANA GEC

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Weather alerts, forest fires, melting pavement in cities: A sizzling heat wave has sent temperatures in parts of central and southern Europe soaring toward 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places.

From Italy to Romania, authorities warned people to be cautious, drive carefully if going on holiday, drink plenty of water and avoid going out during the hottest hours of the day.

Italian authorities declared a red weather alert in seven cities on Thursday, mostly in the central parts of the country but also the capital Rome and Trieste in the northeast. Rome’s municipal authorities issued a digital app to help people locate public drinking fountains as temperatures reached 38 C (100 F) on Thursday.

Dennis Mix, a visitor from the United States, said he skipped part of a planned tour of Rome and stayed in a van instead. “It is really affecting me,” he said.

The heat conditions are aggravated by humidity and could affect healthy people as well as those with health conditions, Italian authorities warned.

Similar warnings were issued in neighboring Croatia and further east and south. Croatia’s main tourism resort, the southern Adriatic Sea town of Dubrovnik, recorded 28 C (82.4 F) at dawn, signaling there won’t be relief when the sun goes down.

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Forest fires have been reported this week in Albania, near the border with Greece, as well as in Bosnia and Italy. Several blazes raged Thursday in Greece’s southern Corinth area and on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos.

Warnings were issued for the region surrounding the capital Athens and other parts of central Greece on Thursday, with a similar warning for the northeast of the country Friday. Greek authorities have said that the country faces its highest wildfire risk in two decades this summer, following a mild, largely rainless winter and spring that have left vegetation tinder-dry.

Meteorologists said temperatures were even higher than officially reported in big cities where sizzling concrete radiates the heat above the ground and the asphalt softens under one’s feet.

“It was impossible to breathe yesterday,” said Antonela Spičanović, from the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica, where temperatures reached 39 C (102 F) on Wednesday. The city seemed deserted with many of its residents staying indoors or heading for the Adriatic Sea coast or the mountains.

“I spend my days in the apartment, under the air conditioning,” said Đorđe Stanišić, an electrical engineer also from Podgorica. “It’s hell outside.”

Mendim Rugova, a meteorologist from neighboring Kosovo, said temperatures in the country have risen on average by 2.5 degrees since the 1980s. He said the current heat wave could last until the end of July.

“In the region we could see temperatures above 40 C, in parts of Albania, Northern Macedonia, in Greece and also in parts of Serbia,” he predicted.

In the Czech Republic’s capital of Prague, where temperatures reached 34 C Wednesday before dropping slightly Thursday, the city zoo delivered ten tons of ice to provide much-needed relief for the animals.

The ice was strategically placed around the zoo Wednesday, creating cool spots where animals could find refuge from unusually high temperatures.

In the Romanian capital Bucharest, street thermometers showed 42 C ( 107 F) on Tuesday and Wednesday though the official measurements were a few degrees lower.

Neighboring Serbia reported record temperatures so far this summer, with thermostats at 35 C (95 F) Thursday morning in the north of the country. In the capital Belgrade, doctors reported treating people who collapsed, felt dizzy or complained of headaches due to the heat.

Serbian authorities have said that the use of air conditioning led to huge power consumption similar to levels normally seen in winter, when many in the Balkan country use electricity for heating.

During a previous heat wave last month, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia and Albania faced a major power outage amid the overload and a collapse of a regional distribution line. Earlier this month, a powerful storm swept the region after days of heat and killed two people, damaged houses while pulling out trees and flooding streets.

Experts say human-induced climate change has brought wild weather swings, increasingly unpredictable storms and heat waves.

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AP journalists throughout Europe contributed to this report.