Cerberus heatwave: Deadly hot weather sweeps across Southern Europe

Southern Europe and north-west Africa are being smothered by a current heatwave sweeping the area – and potential record-breaking temperatures are expected in the coming days. 

Temperatures are expected to surpass 40C in parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia and Turkey. 

In Italy, temperatures could hit 48.8C. A red alert warning has been issued for 10 cities, including Rome, Bologna and Florence. 

On Tuesday, a man in his forties died after collapsing in northern Italy, due to the heat. 

“We are facing an unbearable heatwave,” Italian politician Nicola Fratoianni tweeted.

“Maybe it’s the case that in the hottest hours all the useful precautions are taken to 

avoid tragedies like the one that happened today in Lodi.”

The Cerberus heatwave – named by the Italian Meteorological Society after the three-headed monster that features in Dante’s inferno – is expected to bring extreme conditions in the next few days.