Dozens killed as wildfires, heat wave sweep through the Mediterranean

Without human-induced climate change, the events this month would have been 'extremely rare,' according to a study by World Weather Attribution.

Large areas of the Mediterranean sweltered under an intense summer heatwave on Tuesday and firefighters battled to put out blazes across the region.

In Algeria, at least 34 people have died. In Croatia, flames came within 12 km (7.5 miles) of the medieval town of Dubrovnik late on Tuesday.

Greece has been particularly hard hit, with authorities evacuating more than 20,000 people in recent days from homes and resorts in the south of the holiday island of Rhodes.

Close to 3,000 tourists had returned home by plane as of Tuesday, according to figures from the Transport Ministry, and tour operators have canceled upcoming trips.

Two firefighting pilots died when their plane, which had been dropping water, crashed on a hillside close to the town of Karystos on the island of Evia, east of Athens.

Italy suffered a twin pounding from the elements when severe storms battered the north, killing a woman and a 16-year-old girl scout, while southern regions sweltered. In the south, a bedridden 98-year-old man died when fire swept through his home.

Fires also swept across Portugal and Spain’s Gran Canaria.

In the U.S., the ocean waters around South Florida soared to typical hot-tub levels this week, according to government data. A weather buoy in the waters of Manatee Bay recorded a high of 101.19 degrees Fahrenheit (38.44 Celsius) late Monday afternoon, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. On land, heat warnings were issued for stretches of the desert southwest, in central Texas and north into the Midwest.