Tourists sheltered under umbrellas as they lined up at Florence’s majestic cathedral this week, looking for shade. Locals splashed their faces at water fountains, all seeking a respite from Europe’s latest heat wave. “It feels like home,” said Alina Magrina, a 64-year-old tourist from California, parts of which, like much of the southern United States, have been hit by sweltering temperatures, too. Yet, though Europe is warming more swiftly than the global average, each year it seems particularly unprepared. A report published this week attributed 61,000 deaths in Europe to its searing temperatures last summer.

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Persons: ”, Alina Magrina Locations: California, United States, Florence, Ponte, Europe