Parts of Italy could see highs of 48°C in the coming days stoking fears of an increase in heat-related deaths. Croatia, France, Greece, Spain and Turkey could also face temperatures of around 40°C.
Just a Sunday afternoon in Phoenix. Hope it's at least a dry heat there or they'll sail over wet bulb max easily, though I'm fairly sure southern Italy does get that hot in July.
The difference is, most people in Phoenix have air conditioners. The danger, aside from the heat itself, is that there is little refuge other than going to a place that does have AC, which isn't an option for everyone.
Why do Americans always believe that Europe is a homogeneous entity? ACs are rare in the north of Europe. But as an Spaniard currently living in the north of Italy, I can asure you that ACs are super common in both countries.
Part of it is ignorance. Part of it is scale. And part of it is our media (and anecdotal posts) saying that many Europeans (as a whole) don't have AC in their homes, which is why the heat waves are so dangerous. I'm sure it's annoying, but it's kind of like an American getting annoyed if a European only thought of the US as a whole and not per state, as states are comparable in autonomy and size to most European countries. I wouldn't expect you to know specifics - New York is very different than Florida, which is very different than Iowa, which is different than Alabama, which is very different than California, etc. Hell, the main regions of California alone are all very different from each other.
48 degrees Celsius (predicted temp) and 53% humidity (the humidity in Southern Italy today) is a wet bulb temperature of 38.52 degrees Celsius. In the danger zone.