Europe’s overall heat record came in 1977 when Athens hit 48.0 Celsius (118.4 F).

In the province of Granada in southern Spain, where the mercury reached 45.4 degrees Celsius (113.7 F), few people have ventured outside. Those who did sought shade and stopped to take pictures of public thermometers showing the rising temperatures. Ice cream parlors did a quick trade, and some restaurants installed sprinklers to spray water mists on sweaty guests.

Miriam García, a student, regretted having braved the heat. “It’s very hot, we have to drink water and put on sunscreen all the time, stopping every now and then for a drink in a bar,” she said. “It would be better to be at home than in the street, it’s so hot!

Dominic Royé, climatologist at the University of Santiago de Compostela, said the hot air from the Sahara Desert which has brought days of heat and fueled hundreds of forest fires in Mediterranean countries does not show no sign of ending anytime soon.

“The heatwave we are currently experiencing is very extreme and a lot of people say it is normal, as we are in summer. But it’s not, not that hot, ”Roye said.

The World Meteorological Organization said temperatures recorded in the Mediterranean region go well beyond the typical hot, dry weather in August and “are extreme, and what we might expect from climate change.” “

With nighttime temperatures expected to exceed 25 degrees Celsius (77 F) across much of Spain, Royé worried about residents who couldn’t afford air conditioning and other vulnerable people, such as the homeless or outdoor workers.

Spain’s State Meteorological Agency noted that 24 heat waves have been recorded over the past decade, double the number in each of the previous three decades.

“It is important to stay in cool places and stay hydrated, and to pay special attention to babies and the elderly, vulnerable or otherwise dependent. Extreme precautions must be taken to avoid starting forest fires, ”said Rubén del Campo, spokesperson for the Spanish meteorological service.

Elsewhere in the Iberian Peninsula, the Portuguese government has placed 14 of the country’s 18 districts on high alert until Monday evening over the “dramatically increased risk” of forest fires as temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius .

This would still be below Portugal’s highest temperature on record of 47.3 degrees Celsius (117.1 F) in the interior Alentejo region in 2003.

Italians sought respite from the sea and the mountains of the aptly named anticyclone Lucifer which brought warm air from Africa during the peak summer holiday weekend in Italy. Authorities have raised concerns about the elderly and others at risk as they expand heat warnings to 16 cities.

Temperatures in Italy have reached 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 F) in Rome, Florence and Bologna, all places the health ministry has put on red alert.

The high temperatures were to continue until Sunday, Ferragosto’s traditional feast on the religious feast of the Assumption of Mary, which marks the annual summer vacation exodus from Italian cities.

In Rome, water fountains brought relief, while authorities kept tourists away from ornamental fountains like the famous Trevi Fountain, fearing imitators of Anita Ekberg’s immersion in “La Dolce Vita”.

“I put my head under water at each fountain, I drink a lot, I stay in the shade as much as I can,” said Alessia Pagani, who came from the city of Brescia, in the north of the country.

Storms in the north are expected to bring the first signs of relief from Monday.

“More than anything else, the fresh Atlantic air will bring freshness and greater ventilation that will sweep away moisture and make the air much more breathable,” said Lt. Col. Filippo Petrucci of the Meteorological Service of the Italian Air Force on state television RAI. .

The heat wave worsened the forest fires that ravaged forests in southern Italy, Greece, Turkey and North Africa.

Across the Mediterranean Sea, North Africa has been sizzling for days.

The Algerian National Meteorological Office on Saturday issued a special bulletin indicating that temperatures in many northern regions were above 44 ° C (115 ° F) with peaks of up to 47 ° C (116.6 ° F) ), the TSA online news agency reported.

Climatologists say that there is no doubt that climate change due to the combustion of coal, oil and natural gas is the cause of extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, fires in forest, floods and storms.