Temperatures to creep up to 39C this week

People enjoy a swim at the beach of Preveli, a popular tourist spot in Rethymno, southern Crete, on Saturday. Greece’s national weather service, EMY, said that a blustery weekend which brought strong winds, showers and hail to many parts of the mainland – especially in the north and west – will give way to a heatwave this week. Temperatures are expected to start rising on Monday, to reach as high as 39 degrees Celsius on Thursday and Friday. Several parts of Europe, including Spain, France and Italy, have recently been battling heat waves caused by a blanket of hot air from North Africa. The hot weather also raises the risk of wildfires. [Stelios Volitakis/Intime News]