'Lucifer' hits south Europe with highs of 43C in Croatia and Spain
- Heatwave across southern Europe sees temperatures reach 43 degrees
- Countries including Croatia, Romania, Spain and Italy are affected
- Italian cities are on government health ministry's maximum heat alert
- Temperature high has seen wildfires in Spain, Italy and Croatia this week
- Are you suffering in the heat? Share your pictures and stories with us - email sara.malm@mailonline.co.uk
Southern Europe has been hit by a heatwave, causing temperatures to rise over 40 degrees in several countries, including Italy, Spain and Croatia.
Many holiday destinations popular with tourists are now warning both residents and visitors to stay in the shade and carry water at all times.
In Italy, the heatwave, nick-named 'Lucifer' by locals, has caused a 15 per cent spike in admissions to hospital emergency units and forecasters see no respite coming before early next week.
High spirits: A bride dressed in her wedding dress walks in a fountain in Kiev, Ukraine on Friday as temperatures rose about 40C in several European cities
The other side: Members of an emergency military unit battles one of several of wildfires currently causing devestation in northwestern Spain in the extreme heat
Boiling in Balkan: A young boy cools off at a river in Sofia, Bulgaria, on FridayWeather warning website MeteoAlarm has issued warnings of 'dangerous' conditions in 11 countries in Europe, including - as well as Italy, Spain and Croatia - parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Montenegro.
With peak temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius in much of Italy, a total of 26 major towns and cities were on the health ministry's maximum heat alert. Today, Seville in Spain and some areas of the Italian island of Sardinia can expect temperatures around 42-43C, while Novska in Croatia is predicted an afternoon high of 40C.
The Italian city of Florence saw temperatures were exceeding 40 degrees, however 'perceived temperature' - determined by temperature, humidity and wind and has been reported at more than 50 degrees.
In Romania, 'red alerts' have been issued after meteorologists have forecast 42C in western parts of the country.
'Too hot': A woman based in Malta posted on her Instagram about having to sleep on the floor
Lucifer is here: Others took to Twitter to share their heatwave experiences across Europe
Enjoying the heat: A girl cools off in a fountain at Tasmajdan park in Belgrade, Serbia on Friday, as a heatwave hits most of southern and eastern Europe
Feeling the heat: Kaputas Beach, located between Kalkan and Kas districts in southwest of Turkey, is packed with visitors in the hot weather
Tourists cool off in Florence, Italy, where 'perceived temperature' - determined by temperature, humidity and wind and has been reported at more than 50 degrees
Warning: Cities across Italy, like the capital Rome, pictured here on Thursday, have been subjected to the highest possible level of heat alert with tourists and residents alike warned to take action to protect themselves against the sun and carry water bottles
Dog's life: A dog shakes water off after his bath in the Lake of Zurich, Switzerland
Don't forget to drink: People their bottles in a fountain on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy
Play time: Children in Kiev, Ukraine, take advantage of the hot weather to play in a fountain
Earlier this week, Split airport in Croatia recorded 42.3C, not far from the country's highest ever temperature of 42.8C in 1981.
High humidity in the north and hot winds from Africa in the south are making the perceived temperatures seem even hotter on beaches across the Mediterranean.
Holiday makers and locals alike have taken to Twitter to make lighthearted complaints about the high temperatures.
User @_ggina_ wrote 'picked Corsica cus I wanted a bit of sun but didn't realise that meant a 43 degree heatwave called lucifer, call me g the crisp in a week :)'
Another Twitter user, @EvitaGrazia, seemingly based in Austria, posted a picture of a paddling pool, captioned: 'It's soooooo hot, even the water in the pool was far too warm. #heatwave'
'So, the one year I decide to go on holiday to Italy, its the one year they have a heatwave and it’s nice and cool in England,' @asianspice__ wrote.
Europe on fire: A forest fire rages in Ourense, Galicia, northwestern Spain on Friday as southern Europe braces itself for days of temperatures above 40C
Battle: This wildfire in Vilardevos, northwestern Spain is one of dozens sweeping across southern Europe today
A helicopter spreads water over a forest fire started a day before close to the village of Segura de la Sierra, Jaen, southern Spain
Sweltering: Temperatures are expected to reach 42C to 43C in several locations in the Mediterranean on Friday
While temperatures are expected to stay high to the weekend, many of the worst affected areas can expect a drop in the next forthnight.
Florence, Italy will remain hot, but is predicted to be around 32-34 degrees from Wendesday and onwards.
Seville, in Spain, will stay around 38-40 degrees over the weekend, but will then rest steady at 36 for the following week, according to theweathernetwork.com
Zagreb, Croatia will see a drop in temperatures by Wednesday with the mercury dipping below 30 by Friday.
The spike in temperature has also caused wildfires in Italy, Spain and Croatia this week.
In Italy's central region of Abruzzo, the fires has claimed the life of at least one person and forced the closure of a major highway.
A 79-year-old woman was found dead in a field next to her home in Sant'Omero, Abruzzo, having apparently been overcome by flames that engulfed two hectares of surrounding farmland.
A section of the Via Aurelia coastal motorway that runs northwards from Rome to the Riviera had to be closed for several hours because of a major fire near Grosseto in Tuscany.
'Lucifer': A heatwave has hit the Mediterranean, with several southern European countries, including Spain, pictured is a busy Benidorm beach on Monday
Cooling off: Children play with a ball in a water fountain in Pamplona, Spain, yesterday
Too hot: Tourists walk past the Barcaccia fountain in downtown Rome, Italy, on Thursday
Shaded: A tourist uses an umbrella to stay protected from the sun while taking a picture of gondolas in the Venice lagoon near St. Mark's square in Venice, Italy on Thursday
The region's celebrated landscape is usually baked to a rich golden colour by the end of the summer: this year it resembles burnt toast with August barely underway.
The heatwave has come on the back of a prolonged drought that is set to cost Italy's large agricultural sector billions with 11 regions facing critical water shortages.
In Romania, authorities told people not to go outside during the heatwave, and urged adults not to leave children in cars due in the scorching weather.
Meteorologists issued a 'red code' heat alert for 12 counties in western Romania, with 42C forecast for the next two days, with soaring temperatures expected to subside only after sunset.
An 'amber code' was issued for the rest of the country, forecasting temperatures up to 39 C (102 F).
Police said there will be restrictions for heavy traffic on major roads during the weekend due to the heatwave.
In Greece local authorities yesterday issued an evacuation order for residents near a seaside town south of Athens as a wildfire threatens homes in high winds.
About 100 people were initially affected by the order for homes near Kalyvia, some 25 miles)south of Athens, officials from the local mayor's office said.
Winds up to 60 kph (37 mph) were hampering the firefighting effort, while temperatures in the area reached 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
A firefighter hoses water on bushes and trees to extinguish a wild fire in Mount Dajti, east of the Albanian capital Tirana
On fire: People look on a forest fire as smoke rises above trees in the locality of Verin in Ourense, Galicia, Spain on Thursday
Residents of Vilardevos village observe a forest fire in Verin where authorities activated 'situation 2' alert due to the closeness to population centers and main roads
Everyday heroes: Firefighters try to extinguish the Galician fire on Friday morning
The forest fire in Verin, pictured on Friday, reportedly broke out on Thursday
At work: Helicopters spread water over a forest fire as smoke rises above trees and A-52 highway in the locality of Verin in Ourense
Meanwhile, Albanian authorities have asked for assistance from the European Union to fight some 20 wildfires in the Vlora district along the country's Riviera.
In southwestern Albania, wildfires were threatening the Llogara National Park as the firefighters were unable to extinguish the blaze in the region's steep mountains.
In Corsica, a forest fire has been raging for three days, leading to French authorities ferrying firefighters and trucks from the mainland to help.
The regional authority for southern Corsica warned Friday that the fire has spread north and it could take several days to extinguish the blaze on the Mediterranean island.
Some 70 new firefighters and 15 vehicles were sent Friday from the mainland, but the regional authority said rough terrain and exceptionally hot, dry weather is complicating efforts.
The fire broke out Wednesday in the Palneca forest, forced evacuations on a celebrated hiking route and threatened nearby towns at the height of vacation season. No one has been hurt.
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