Eastern Australia braces for bushfires and thunderstorms, prompting health risk warnings

Leading into the weekend, Australia’s eastern states are facing mass severe weather warnings and are on high alert for thunderstorm asthma, bushfires, dust storms and damaging winds.

Smoke from the Pierces Creek blaze
continues to tower over Canberra trees.

Emergency crews began door-knocking residents in Canberra on Friday in a pre-emptive move to alert homeowners living near an out-of-control bushfire southwest of Canberra.

A school was evacuated as firefighters fought a 113-hectare bushfire at Pierce Creek, 8 kilometres from the nearest suburb.

Emergency Services Commissioner Dominic Lane said winds are expected to pick up, making it difficult for firefighters to stop the blaze from spreading as it heads in a southeasterly direction.

Read The New Daily story - “Eastern Australia braces for bushfires and thunderstorms, prompting health risk warnings.”

'Lucifer’ Heat Wave Keeps Parts of Europe in Red Alert'

Belgrade, Serbia (AP) -- No wonder it's been dubbed “Lucifer."

A man takes water from a fountain in
the center of Belgrade, Serbia on August 4.

A relentless heat wave that gripped parts of Europe this week has sent temperatures soaring to record highs for several days, causing at least two deaths and prompting authorities to issue severe weather warnings.

"It is just too much," real estate agent Sasa Jovanovic, 52, said during an early morning walk in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, where the temperature was forecast to hit 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 degrees Fahrenheit) Saturday. "Sometimes it feels as if I cannot breathe.”

The extreme heat stifling Serbia, Romania, Croatia and parts of Spain, France and Italy has fueled wildfires, damaged crops and strained energy and water supplies. Authorities in some areas issued traffic restrictions and banned outdoor work during the hottest part of the day.

Spain's national weather service on Saturday issued an emergency warning for high temperatures in 31 of the country's 50 provinces as forecasts predicted temperatures of up to 44 C (111.2 F).

Read the Bloomberg story - “‘'Lucifer’ Heat Wave Keeps Parts of Europe in Red Alert.”