A heatwave named Cerberus has brought temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius to the Mediterranean and has already claimed one life.

Footage from July 12 shows locals in Madrid and Rome attempting to stay cool as the heatwave scorches Spain and Italy.

A 44-year-old man collapsed due to the heat in the Italian city of Lodi, he later died in hospital.

The heat was been caused by an anticyclone weather system from the Sahara that expanded northwards.

STORY: Spain faces second heat wave with high temperatures up to 44.6 degrees Celsius
DATELINE: July 12, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:32
LOCATION: Madrid
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of street views in Spain
2. various of maps showing temperature distribution of Spain

STORYLINE:

The high temperature in Spain, as a result of the second heat wave, continued on Tuesday and will remain at least until Thursday in the south, according to the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
   
Due to a ridge of hot air coming from the Sahara, the Iberian Peninsula is experiencing one of the hottest weeks of this year, prompting the AEMET to put several parts of the country on red alert.
   
In the south, the provinces of Cordoba and Jaen are among the hottest, with maximum temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius, while in the southeastern city of Murcia, it could exceed 42 to 44 degrees.
   
Temperatures are expected to drop Wednesday in the north of the peninsula and parts of the Balearic Islands, while in the southern part of the country it will continue to be extremely hot, with high temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius, according to AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo.
   
The maximum peak of the second heat wave in Spain was recorded on Monday in the town of Loja in the southern province of Granada, with 44.6 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.
   
The first heatwave of the summer took place in the last week of June when 23 provinces were at risk (yellow) or significant risk (orange) as temperatures reached as high as 43 degrees Celsius.
   
At the end of March, high temperature caused a wave of fires that lasted for several days in both the east and north of Spain, foreshadowing a hotter-than-normal summer.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Madrid.
(XHTV)

STORY: Italy braces for record-breaking heatwave
DATELINE: July 12, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:14
LOCATION: Rome
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of street view of Rome

STORYLINE:

Rome and other cities across Italy were put on red alert on Monday as the country is bracing for an intense heatwave that meteorologists said was likely to break records.

Forecasters predicted temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius for the rest of this week in cities across the country as Europe has been in the grip of a heatwave for several weeks now.

On Monday, Italy's Ministry of Health issued a red alert in nine of the country's 27 principal cities for at least one of the next three days. The cities include the capital Rome, Florence in central Italy and Bologna in the north.

Another eight of the 27 cities are on orange alert by Wednesday, and only four on green status, which refers to normal temperatures.

Red alerts include specific warnings for even young, healthy residents to stay indoors and take other precautions during the hottest part of the day, saying temperatures can represent a "risk to life" if mishandled. An orange alert signals the same risks but only for the extremely young, the elderly and those with health conditions.

The alerts also mean that the affected areas' hospitals will be ready to take in heat stroke victims.

There are warnings of possible limits on energy supplies and potential damage to infrastructure. In some cities, the authorities may provide access to free drinking in public spaces.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Rome.
(XHTV)