The heat wave is named after Kerberos, the gatekeeper of Manala. There is also a new heat wave coming, which takes its name from Kharon, the ferryman of Manala.
The three-headed Kerberos dog guarding the gate of Manala in the Greek sanctuary has given its name to the heat wave that is scorching a large area in Europe and North-West Africa.
Countries along the Mediterranean coast, such as Greece, Spain, France and Turkey, have been warned of heat, when the thermometer readings have risen to around 40 degrees.
In Spain, temperatures of 35 degrees were measured in many places already at six in the morning on Wednesday.
Worse is to come, as the temperature will rise to 45 degrees in some places during the rest of the week.
In Italy, the most suffocating is in Sardinia and Sicily, where the temperature can rise to over 48 degrees, which would be a record. In Italy, heat warnings have also been issued in Rome and Florence, among others.
The heat is making the Balkan region even hotter. For example, in Croatia, Slovakia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, the temperature has risen to around 40 degrees, and similar heat is predicted to continue until next week.
In Athens, Greece, an ambulance is on duty in the archaeological area of the Acropolis, ready to give first aid to tourists suffering from the heat. Heat-exhausted tourists have also been revived at the foothills of the Roman Colosseum.
There are also high temperatures in, for example, Germany and Poland.
The World Meteorological Organization under the UN, WMO, said on Monday that the beginning of July was the hottest in recorded history worldwide.
And there is no relief in sight even as July progresses. The next heat wave is coming to Europe after Kerberos. It is named Kharon after the Manala ferry.
Sources: Reuters, AP