In Europe they name heatwaves. The names aren't official in the sense where our own BoM officially names tropical cyclones but the names tend to catch on with the media and the public, and they are usually pretty imaginative.

The Italian Meteorological Agency dubbed last week's event "Heatwave Cerberus" – a reference to the mythical multi-headed dog which guarded the gates of hell. This week's heatwave is being called "Charon" – the ferryman in Greek mythology who carries souls to the underworld.

Whatever their names, there's no doubt these are two extreme heat events by European standards.

Heatwave Cerberus brought temps in the low-to-mid 40s to large parts of southern Europe, and there have even been reports of temps in the mid-to-high 20s way up in the Arctic Circle in northern Norway.

This week's heatwave looms as potentially more severe.

The heatwave intensifies in southern Europe today.

Temperatures will be widely into the 40's with the hottest place likely in Sardinia with 46°C possible.

Stay up to date with the @bbcnews live page - https://t.co/KIMDrmOtIf
Simon pic.twitter.com/VlEbgPiVkQ

— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) July 18, 2023

"The bubble of hot air that has inflated over southern Europe has turned Italy and surrounding countries into a giant pizza oven," Hannah Cloke, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Reading, said in a statement earlier this week, demonstrating that it's not just meteorological agencies that can use colourful language.

"The hot air which pushed in from Africa is now staying put, with settled high pressure conditions meaning that heat in warm sea, land and air continues to build," she continued.

Meteorologists call such conditions a "heat dome", and we've talked about them numerous times here at Weatherzone over the years, including in this story about an Australian summer heatwave, in which we explained that a heat dome occurs when a strong stationary high pressure system leaves the build-up of heat nowhere to dissipate.

So what's ahead for Europe?

Hot weather, and plenty of it.

The heat won't make it as far north as Manchester, where hostilities resume between Australia and England in the fourth Ashes Test on Wednesday evening, Australian time. Indeed as you can see on the chart below, the UK will be spared the worst of it.

But as a fresh burst of heat surges northwards across the Mediterranean from Saharan Africa, parts of Spain, Italy, Greece and nearby countries are all tipped to exceed 40°C by several degrees, with temps in the mid-40s predicted for parts of Italy.

There is even a suggestion that the European temperature record of 48.8°C – recorded close to Siracusa in Sicily in 2021 – could be broken.

Southern Europe's extreme heatwave will continue for the next 7+ days as a record-strong heat dome parks overhead, bringing extreme heat for days on end.

In Sicily and Sardinia, temperatures could reach 48°C (118.4°F), threatening the record for the highest temperature in… pic.twitter.com/Jn6vfA6vu6

— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 17, 2023

For travellers in Europe, the heatwave could cause disruptions with the potential closure of airports, public sites, and monuments. The Acropolis in Athens closed during last week's event.

For the elderly and outdoor workers, the heat poses a serious health risk. At least two people died from heatstroke last week, while wildfires continue to burn in Spain, Italy and Greece.

Meanwhile these current European heatwaves come after the record for the world's hottest day was broken several times earlier this month.