A heat wave named Cerberus has southern Europe in its jaws, and it’s only going to get worse

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and CIARAN GILES
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Countries in southern Europe are preparing emergency measures at the start of a heat wave that is expected to push temperatures to 45 degrees Celsius (113F) in some areas over the next few days. The high-pressure system, which crossed the Mediterranean from north Africa, has been named Cerberus, after the three-headed dog in ancient Greek mythology that guards the gates to the underworld. It’s being tracked by the European Space Agency, which warns that the extreme weather could affect areas as far north as Germany and Poland.