"Unrelenting heat is blanketing swathes of southern and eastern Europe, with dozens of cities on red alert as scorching temperatures fuel wildfires, strain power grids, and make daily life unbearable.

There was no let up Thursday as the mercury again hovered near or above 40 degrees Celsius in many countries, with worse expected in the coming days.

Europe is no stranger to baking summer spells but climate change is making heat waves longer, stronger and more frequent, sustaining dangerously high temperatures even at night.

Greece, which recorded its earliest-ever heat wave this summer, withered through its 11th-straight day above 40C on Thursday."

AFP had the story July 18, 2024. [2]