(Bloomberg) -- Spain will bear the brunt of a Mediterranean heat wave over the next few days, as the world notched up another record hot day.
Temperatures will climb as high as 44C (111F) in the Guadiana river valley, as well as around Seville and Cordoba in southern Spain on Wednesday. Most of the country will also face an extreme risk of wildfires, according to Spanish forecaster AEMET.
Climate change is making Europe’s summers hotter, increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves that also bring extreme weather events from flooding to wildfires. The highest average temperature on Earth was recorded on Monday, exceeding the all-time high set the previous day, according to preliminary data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
While temperatures in Greece have cooled slightly after weeks of 40C-plus heat, wildfires and violent storms remain a threat.
Firefighters, backed by planes and helicopters, are tackling a large forest blaze in Aghios Xristoforos in northeast Greece, after bringing a fire near the town of Aspropyrgos, 20 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of Athens, under partial control.
Residents of Agriles on the island of Crete have been told to evacuate as a fire approaches, while another blaze is being fought on the Ionian Sea island of Zakynthos. Inhabitants of Prodromos in central Greece have been told to be ready to evacuate.
The Greek capital and many islands on high alert today.
At the same time, there is a storm and hail warning in place for central and northern Greece, which will extend to Thasos, an island in the North Aegean, and the Sporadic islands on Thursday.
The temperature of the Mediterranean Sea is well above average levels, with parts of the Adriatic about 5C above the norm, according to Copernicus.
(Updates with record hot day in first and third paragraph)
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