An image taken on August 4, 2022 in Les Brenets shows the dry basin of Lake Brenets (Lac des Brenets), part of the Doubs River, the natural boundary between eastern France and western Switzerland, while most of Europe is warming in the third. Heat wave since June. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

The heat wave affecting Mediterranean coastal regions across Europe will continue into the next week as many countries have issued weather warnings.

Data provided by EUMETNET, the European network of meteorological services, indicates that heat alerts have been issued across large parts of coastal areas of Italy and France due to concerns about heat illnesses and droughts, with temperatures reaching 30°C or more over the weekend.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Friday that France is experiencing the “most severe drought in its history” and the situation is feared to deteriorate.

Announcing the opening of an inter-ministerial unit to coordinate the drought crisis, Bourne said, “France is experiencing a prolonged period of drought that is already affecting the entire region. This drought is the most severe drought ever recorded in our country.”

He added, “The lack of rain is exacerbated by the accumulation of successive heat waves that enhance evaporation and water needs. Weather forecasts indicate that the situation may continue for 15 days, or even become more alarming.”

Although Météo France forecast a “less intense heat wave” and lower temperatures, it also said local maximum temperatures of 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) were still possible near the White Sea Mediterranean and in the Rhone Valley.

In the province of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the southeast of the country, the fire is still active, but local authorities stress that “no human or material goods are directly threatened” and that the crisis unit has been closed. .

Neighboring Italy will continue to suffer from the severe heat wave that has affected Italy for weeks. This Friday, three cities received the red alert sign, and 16 cities – from north of Trieste to south of Palermo – are expected to receive red alerts on Saturday, according to the Italian health ministry.

A red alert in Italy means that the general population – unlike the elderly and vulnerable – can be affected by the heat wave. Temperatures in Milan reached 102 F (39 C) on Friday, according to the Italian Air Force.

The lifts have been closed since July 20 due to high temperatures, the director of the Stelvio Cable Car, on one of the most popular summer ski glaciers, Umberto Capitani, told CNN. Kapitani said that in his twenty years of professional experience, ski lifts have never closed in July in the country.

“We have had days when the freezing point was constantly above 4,000 metres. The heat and humidity do not allow the snow to freeze even at night and therefore cracks can open,” Kapitani said, quoting security.

Rain and strong winds are expected in many regions of northern Italy next Saturday, according to the Italian Civil Protection, Friday.

On Friday, temperatures in Spain exceeded 35 degrees Celsius in large areas of the southern half of the peninsula and the northern plateau areas.

Forecasts indicate that the heat will likely affect countries until next week, especially around the Iberian Peninsula.

And in Greece, firefighting teams proactively evacuated the village of Ano Vlachada in the western Attica region, with 55 firefighters with 15 fire trucks and three helicopters to fight a forest fire, according to the brigade. Greek public radio ERT reported that the situation had improved on Friday afternoon.