While north-west Europe is experiencing an unseasonably cold start to summer, south-east Europe is baking under 45°C heat.

If you're heading off in that direction on holiday any time soon you'll want to listen up.

Intense heat is currently building across south-east Europe, with eye-wateringly high temperatures expected in the coming days.

Across parts of Greece, in particular the Greek islands, temperatures will be soaring into the high-thirties, peaking over 40°C in Heraklion, Crete.

Cyprus, particularly Nicosia, is expected to see the mercury soar to a blistering 45°C by the end of the week, before dropping to the low-to-mid thirties in the following week.

Parts of Turkey, including the popular holiday spot of Antalya could also reach 43°C - 44°C this week. A very brief respite in temperatures into early next week, before rising back into the blistering fourties.

Italy is also seeing temperatures build, with Sicily regularly hitting the high-thirties in the coming days and weeks in locations such as Catania and Caltanissetta. For a bit more of a relief from the Sicilian sun, Palermo's temperatures will be a fraction lower than inland or southern regions.

It's not all sunny skies though, as along the boundary however, where hot southerly air meets cooler northerly air, thunderstorms may develop, particularly across parts of Romania, the Balkans, northern Italy and southern France.

The intense heat building further south will also lead to a greater risk of wildfires around southern Italy, Greece and Turkey.