A severe heatwave has swept across Europe, leading Italy's health ministry to place 27 major cities, from Trieste in the northeast to Palermo in Sicily, on red alert. This highest level of heat alert comes as the continent faces record-breaking temperatures and devastating wildfires this summer.
The heat has set a national temperature record in Austria and brought record-breaking temperatures to Slovakia. In France, the extreme conditions have fueled wildfires. Meanwhile, Hungary has been forced to ration power and cut power use after drought-starved Danube water became unable to cool nuclear reactors.
Across the continent, the heatwave has disrupted energy and transportation systems. These events have exposed vulnerabilities in public health systems, power generation, tourism infrastructure, and transportation networks, forcing governments to adapt to more frequent periods of extreme weather.