Europe roasts in ferocious 111F (44C) heatwave as Greece battles raging wildfires and Italy sees lakes dry up completely

Southern Europe continues to roast in severe heat, with scorching and dry conditions fanning wildfires in Greece and around the Balkans and seeing a lake dry up in southern Italy.

Greece is experiencing its 11th consecutive day of a heatwave today, with temperatures forecast to reach 43C.

Meteorologists have said there is going to be little respite over the coming days, with hot air coming from Africa set to bake the country and wider region until Sunday. 

Meanwhile in western Europe, parts of the UK are experiencing a mini heatwave,  and most of neighbouring France is set to see temperatures rise above 30C, with the mercury rising up to 40C in the south.

Tourist hotspots throughout the Med are set to bake, with excessive heat alerts in place in Croatia and Spain, where temperatures could hit 44C today in what is the  country's first heatwave of the summer.

After the Iberian Peninsula saw cooler than usual weather so far this summer, the country's Met Office AEMET expects temperatures to exceed 38C in most of the country today.

Temperatures could reach as much as 42-44 C in the southern Guadalquivir Valley, it said, with the peak of the heat on Friday, when most areas will warm up to 40C. 

Heatwave warnings are in place for large swathes of the country, including the Balearic Islands.

Holidaymakers have flocked to beaches throughout the Med as the summer season hots up, desperately looking to cool off in the sea amid the soaring temperatures.

But in Croatia, the highest-ever temperature of the Adriatic Sea was recorded this week, with a buoy thermometer reaching nearly 30C off Dubrovnik, the country's most popular tourism spot.

It is the second week that temperatures have been hovering around 40C in the region, with neighbouring Bosnia and Serbia also hit by the heat.

The Bosnian town of Mostar has registered a high of 40C for six consecutive days, it was reported yesterday.

Serbia's state power company reported record consumption on Tuesday due to the need for air conditioning in homes. 

In Albania, the heat led the government to reschedule working hours for civil servants, making it easier for some to work from home. 

Neighboring North Macedonia struggled with dozens of wildfires that had broken out in the previous 24 hours. 

One major blaze stretched across nearly 30 kilometers (21 miles). Firefighting aircraft from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania and Turkey responded to the country's call for assistance.

Greece has been ravaged by wildfires over recent weeks, with the latest breaking out in Sofiko in the western region of Corinthia yesterday.

Dozens of firefighters battled the blaze, with some 140 remaining at the scene today. 

Four were reportedly injured, including one who suffered a heart attack and had to be taken to hospital.

Two firefighters have died while putting out a fire in the Basilicata region in southern Italy, Italian authorities said.

People have also been forced to evacuate their homes due to wildfires in Bulgaria. 

In Romania, where an orange heatwave alert is in place, one person has reportedly died due to the heat.

Several cities across Ukraine have also been recording historically high temperatures, officials said on Wednesday.

Dealing with the heat is especially difficult at a time when major urban hubs are suffering long periods without electricity after Russian attacks on power plants. 

In Greece, the Culture Ministry ordered the closure of the Acropolis - the country's biggest cultural attraction - from midday for five hours.

Tourists hoping to visit the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis queued early in the morning to beat the worst of the heat, while the Red Cross handed chilled bottled water and information fliers to those waiting in line.

'We got it done and got out quick, and now we're going to some air conditions and some more libation and enjoy the day,' said Toby Dunlap, who was visiting from Pennsylvania and had just toured the Acropolis. 'But it's hot up there, it really is. If you don't come prepared, you're going to sweat.'

Over in France, temperatures are expected to soar to as high as 40C in the south east.

The country as a whole is expected to see soaring temperatures over the coming days, according to Meteo Express.

From Thursday to Saturday, the 30C mark will be exceeded in over three quarters of France, the weather site says.

Oceanic air is expected to then come in from the west, potentially causing strong storms from Saturday evening. 

Meanwhile, Italy added Palermo in Sicily, to the list of 13 cities in the country with a severe heat warning. 

Elderly people in the city of Verona were urged to stay indoors, while sprinklers were set up to cool passersby. 

In the capital Rome, a tourist who was trying to keep cool with a fan said: 'It's hellishly hot... these fans help a little too, but it's really hot.' 

Meanwhile further south, a severe drought in Sicily has caused the island's only natural lake to dry up which, it was reported earlier this month, with pictures showing the severely diminished water source.

Sicily has suffered months of below-average rainfall, with the Italian government declaring a state of emergency over the crisis, which has devastated crops and desiccated pastures.

Lake Pergusa, part of a natural reserve close to the central Sicilian town of Enna, has shrunk dramatically because of a lethal mix of hot weather and low rains, scientists said.

'The lake is no longer there. The part of the water that was visible has completely disappeared, apart from this puddle,' Giuseppe Maria Amato, from environmentalist group Legambiente, said, pointing to a pool of water where the once