Europe on alert, deteriorating heat situation expected

Italians have baptized her as Lusifer of the heat that has caused red alarm in many cities, including Rome, Florence, and Venice in Italy.

Tourists in the city of eternity exploited Rome's many fountains to cool, while the thermometer marked 41 degrees Fahrenheit [41 ° C]. On the popular island of Sardinia, Wednesday hit 42 degrees.

French authorities raised the orange alert, the second highest after the country's southeast and the island of Corsica were affected by temperatures of over 40 degrees Fahrenheit [40 ° C]. The fire services are standing in a state of readiness, a week after the flames included parts of the island in the Mediterranean.

Record temperatures have also been marked in Spain, Croatia and Portugal. According to experts, the situation is expected to deteriorate even more next week, when some regions will be affected by the strongest heat wave for this summer.

Authorities especially call on elderly people, children, and people with health problems to consume as much fluids as possible, stay at home in peak hours, wear thin clothing, and stay fresh.

While accurate data is difficult to obtain, the heat is thought to be responsible for hundreds of deaths, especially among the elderly and sufferers. The Central Statistics Office in the Netherlands estimates that an average of 200 more Dutch will die each week from the heat wave -- a 10% increase.

The 2003 heat wave is thought to have caused 70 thousand deaths in France and other European countries.