More than 500 people have died in the last week in the heat wave gripping central Europe. Most of the victims lived in Hungary, with some casualties reported in nearby Romania, the BBC reports. The elderly have been hardest hit. Temperatures in some areas have reached 107 degrees; the intense heat has already destroyed almost a third of Serbia's harvest.
Southeast Europe is overwhelmed, too. Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are battling wildfires, and temperatures in Bulgaria soared to 113 Monday. In the north, unusually heavy rains have triggered widespread flooding. The chaotic weather has been linked to a shift in the jet stream, though some fear it may be due to global warming. (More Europe stories.)