Italian meteorologists are calling the next phase of the heatwave "Charon" - a reference to the ferryman of the souls of the dead in Greek mythology.
The European Space Agency (ESA), whose satellites monitor land and sea temperatures, has warned that Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing extreme conditions.
Joan Ballester, a professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, said France had learned lessons from a deadly 2003 heatwave that countries such as Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal could follow.
"There are measures that are relatively cheap, like for example, coordinating public entities also doing a census of vulnerable populations," Ballester, a co-author of this week's study, said.
"But there are much more expensive measures, like for example, the redesign of cities to improve housing conditions," he told Reuters.
Persons:
Joan Ballester
Organizations:
heatwave, European Space Agency, ESA, Barcelona Institute, Global Health, Reuters
Locations:
Greece, Acropolis, Europe, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Sicily, Portugal