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

Croatia reported the highest-ever temperatures of the Adriatic Sea, with the thermometer reaching nearly 30C (86F) at the southern walled city of Dubrovnik, the country’s most popular tourism spot.

In Serbia, the state power company reported record consumption on 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 Canadairs and other aircraft to douse wildfires that raged in southern Italy and North Macedonia.

“It’s hellishly hot,” said Carmen Diaz, a tourist from Madrid, Spain, 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 40C (104F).

Temperatures are expected to hit 42C (107.6F) on Wednesday and Thursday in several countries.

Spain’s national weather service said thermometers could reach 44C (111.2F) 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 38C (100.4F0.

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 hairdryer pointed at us,” said Patrizia Valerio, who had just arrived in Rome from Varese for the band’s final performance on Tuesday night.

Fellow concert-goer Mattia Rossi was more philosophical, citing the freak storms which 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,” he said.

In Albania, where temperatures were expected to hit 42C (107.6F), a 72-year-old man was found dead at his farm in Memaliaj, 125 miles (200km) south of the capital, Tirana, with the cause of death believed to be the heat, the local Panorama portal reported. There was no immediate confirmation from 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 have fanned wildfires from the south to the north in recent weeks.

Even with temperatures a comparatively cool 34C (93.2F), Turkey’s 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 10am and 4pm.

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

For the second time this month, North Macedonia faced a heatwave with temperatures rising to 42C (107.6F).

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 is the second week that temperatures have been hovering around 40C, with the Bosnian town of Mostar registering that high for the sixth consecutive day. Meteorologists said the heatwave was expected to peak on Tuesday and slowly ease towards 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 40C this week.

In Italy, the civil protection service reported that it received 18 calls on Monday for help to douse wildfires that were raging 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 and young children – is urged to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day and avoid strenuous outdoor exercise and heavy foods.

Palermo in 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 heatwave due to last until the end of the week, with temperatures in some areas forecast to reach 42C (107.6F).

The heatwave is predicted to peak on Wednesday and Thursday, particularly affecting regions of central, western and northern Greece, where temperatures could rise to 43C (109.4F).