Disastrous forecast; Serbia also hit by an "Omega Block"

The cause is a heat dome associated with an atmospheric pattern known as an "Omega block."

A very warm and dry air mass continues to move in from North Africa, pushing temperature anomalies in the upper levels of the atmosphere to extreme levels over northern Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and neighboring regions, Index reports.

This period of intense heat is being driven by a stable high-pressure system positioned over the center of Europe.

European experts expect temperatures to reach as high as 43 degrees during the hottest parts of the day, while nights will remain tropical, meaning temperatures will not fall below 22 degrees, with some nights expected to remain as warm as 26 degrees.

Key factor — The Heat Dome

The heat dome has been a key factor in all previous record-breaking heat waves in the United States, Canada and Europe. It is a dominant feature of summer weather patterns across both continents.

This phenomenon occurs when extremely high temperatures develop. An upper-level ridge, which is a mass of very warm air at high altitudes, forms a dome. This system, also known as a high-pressure system or anticyclone, brings high and sometimes record-breaking temperatures to the areas it affects.

If the system is particularly stable and strong, it usually lasts from several days to several weeks.

The heat dome functions like a lid on a pot. It traps warm air at all levels as it sinks toward the ground. As a result, the air mass becomes unusually warm at lower altitudes and extremely hot near the surface.

Heat Dome expands eastward

By midweek, an "upper-level trough" will arrive over western Europe, strengthening the southwesterly flow between the two systems. The strong ridge will remain stable through the end of next weekend, bringing extreme heat across a wide area stretching from the Alps all the way to Ukraine in the east.

The hottest air mass is located beneath the core of the heat dome. By midweek, it will be positioned over Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, northern Italy and Slovenia.

Due to the expansion of the heat dome, the surface heat wave on Tuesday will bring the highest temperatures to Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and Slovenia.

On Wednesday, the core of the hottest air will shift further east, spreading high temperatures to Croatia, Serbia and Romania, while areas from the Benelux region to Germany will experience a slight cooling.

Thursday will remain extremely hot, especially from eastern Slovenia and Croatia toward Hungary, Slovakia, northern Serbia, Romania and Ukraine.

Forecasts indicate that this will be the hottest day for the northern Balkans and eastern Europe.

Extreme heat will continue on Friday as well, when it will expand toward western Russia and further south across the Balkans, reaching Bulgaria and Greece.

Forecast for next week

Trends after this week suggest the possibility that another strong ridge will expand over southwestern, western and central Europe next week.

Its exact position remains uncertain because this is a 10-day forecast, but weather models indicate such a development.

The formation of this ridge would create another persistent heat dome, supporting the continuation of extreme heat through mid-August.

Models suggest that next week could also bring renewed warming across the area stretching from Portugal, Spain and France toward the Alps, with another significant heat wave developing. It would gradually expand toward the United Kingdom.

The current ridge over eastern Europe and the Balkans is expected to weaken only next weekend.