Too hot to travel: How the heatwave in Europe could affect your holidays

Extreme weather alerts have been issued in numerous locations, with warnings of forest fires, droughts, melting pavements in cities and dangers to human health as a deadly heatwave sends temperatures rocketing to 40C and above in some of the most popular places.

From Italy to Greece, Turkey and Romania, authorities have advised people to take extra care, drink plenty of water and avoid going outside during the hottest hours of the day. And forecasters are warning there may be worse to come, as a wave of scorching air from Africa roasts southern Europe and the Balkans.

Thermometers are expected to hit 42C on Wednesday and Thursday in several countries. Italy’s health ministry placed 12 cities under the most severe heat warning on Tuesday, while Spain’s national weather service has predicted a high of 44C in one southern region in coming days.

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In Greece, air-conditioned spaces were being made available to the public in several municipalities, while outdoor work such as manual labour, deliveries and construction were outlawed during the hottest times of the day. The Greek capital, Athens, is anticipating a sweltering 41C on Thursday.

The Balkan peninsula has been experiencing the most abnormal heat in recent weeks. Temperatures have been hovering around 40C for the past fortnight in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia, although there may be a small respite as the heatwave is predicted to ease slightly toward the end of the week.

Highs of 42C are anticipated in Albania, where there has been at least one death as a result of the heat. And the outlook suggests the rest of the month will continue to be much warmer than average across southern and central parts of the continent.

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Global records continue to be smashed as the planet warms and extreme weather events increase, with scientists agreeing that man-made climate change is a key driving force. The scorching conditions could see a repeat of last summer, which brought record-breaking heat across the globe – with July becoming the planet’s hottest month.

The mercury soared way above 45C in some hotspots, with one particularly severe spell even named after Cerberus, the mythological gatekeeper of hell. The past decade has brought the ten hottest years on earth since monitoring began more than a century ago, with 2023 crowned the warmest year in human history.

It stole the title from 2016 and 2020, which had been tied in first place, but 2024 has been tipped to break that record.

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And evidence suggests Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, with the hottest days in north-west Europe heating up at double the rate of average summer temperatures. The differences in trends are most pronounced for England, Wales and northern France.

Researchers are predicting extreme heat events such as last summer’s record-breaking hot spell – when the UK experienced 40C heat for the first time ever known – are likely to become more commonplace as global warming continues.