The Italian health ministry placed 12 cities under the most severe heat warning Tuesday as a wave of hot air from Africa baked southern Europe and the Balkans and sent temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), with the worst still to come.

Croatia reported the highest-ever temperatures of the Adriatic Sea, with the thermometer reaching nearly 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) at the southern walled city of Dubrovnik, the country's most popular tourism spot. In Serbia, the state power company reported record consumption Tuesday due to the use of air conditioning.

Municipal authorities in several southern European and Balkan cities took measures to look after elderly people in particular as civil protection crews fielded calls for water-dropping aircraft such as Canadairs to douse wildfires that raged in southern Italy and North Macedonia.

“It's hellishly hot," said Carmen Díaz, a tourist from Madrid who was trying to keep cool with a fan at lunchtime in Rome. "These fans help a little too, but it's really hot.”

In Greece, municipalities made air conditioned spaces available to the public. Certain forms of outdoor work were banned, such as manual labour, deliveries and construction, during the hottest time of the day when temperatures reached 40 C.

Temperatures were expected to hit 42 C on Wednesday and Thursday in several countries. Spain's national weather service said thermometers could reach 44 C in the southern Guadalquivir river basin in the coming days.

To beat the heat, Rome's zoo made plans to offer popsicle respite for the animals later this week when temperatures were expected to top 38 C.

For those flocking to the Eternal City's Coldplay concerts this week, there were no such icy treats.

“It really feels like we are in an oven with a hair dryer pointed at us,” said Patrizia Valerio, who had just arrived in Rome from Varese for the band's final performance Tuesday night.

Fellow concert-goer Mattia Rossi was more philosophical, noting that the freak storms that hit Italy earlier this summer as evidence of climate change wreaking havoc on the southern Mediterranean's weather systems.

"These are all symptoms of a planet that is suffering in my opinion,” Rossi said.

In Albania, where temperatures were expected to hit 42 C, a 72-year-old man was found dead at his farm in Memaliaj, 200 km (125 miles) south of the capital Tirana and the cause of the death is believed to be the heat, the local Panorama portal reported. There was no immediate confirmation by health authorities.

In Tirana itself, streets and cafes seemed almost empty, with the few people out and about using umbrellas to shade themselves. High temperatures and winds were fanning wildfires from the south to the north in recent weeks.

Even with temperatures a comparatively cool 34 C, the Istanbul municipality issued a heat warning on Tuesday advising residents — especially the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those with health issues — to avoid going out between 10 am and 4 pm.

The advisory said temperatures in Istanbul were expected to remain between 3 to 6 degrees above seasonal norms until July 28 and advised residents to drink plenty of fluids and opt for light or cotton clothing.

“It's usually windy here, like natural air conditioning, so we always come here to cool off," said Sami Gunaydin, a 62-year-old pensioner who was swimming in the Bosporus on Tuesday. "May God help those who have no air conditioning.”

For the second time this month, North Macedonia faced a heatwave with temperatures going up to 42 C. Some 200 wildfires have been raging in the country since the beginning of the month, with one firefighter so far injured. The government has declared a month-long state of crisis.

For Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia, it's the second week that temperatures have been hovering around 40 C, with the Bosnian town of Mostar registering that high for the sixth consecutive day. Meteorologists said the heat wave was expected to peak on Tuesday and slowly ease toward the end of the week.

Romania and neighbouring Moldova have also been gripped by an intense heatwave over the past week, with temperatures in both country's capitals, Bucharest and Chisinau respectively, exceeding 40 C this week.

In Italy, the civil protection service reported it received 18 calls for help Monday to douse wildfires that raged in several southern regions.

The health ministry placed 12 cities – from Trieste in the north to Rome in the centre – under a red alert heat warning, the highest state of heat emergency. In cities under such warnings, everyone — not just the elderly or young children — is urged to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day and avoid strenuous outdoor exercise and heavy foods.

Palermo, Sicily was expected to join the list of red-bulletin cities on Wednesday, the health ministry said.

Much of Greece was also sweltering in a heat wave due to last until the end of the week, with temperatures in some areas forecast to reach 42 C. The heat wave was predicted to peak on Wednesday and Thursday, particularly affecting regions of central, western and northern Greece, where temperatures could rise to 43 C.

The brutal heat wave hitting southern Europe has so far spared Paris, which is set to host the Olympics later this month. Temperatures were a comparatively chilly 22 C on Tuesday, though they were expected to rise later in the week only to fall again after the weekend.