A storm killed 5 people, including two children, and injured about 10, Thursday, in Austria, according to the authorities and the Austrian News Agency.
Three people were killed when a tree fell in the state of Lower Austria, while two children died in the Carinthia region.
The two children, aged between 5 and 8, and the injured were near a small lake in Carinthia when several trees were uprooted by winds, said Melanie Reiter, a spokeswoman for the state's Red Cross.
In Italy, rescue services said yesterday, Thursday, that two people died due to falling trees in the center of the country, while strong storms hit several areas after rising temperatures for weeks.
The Italian civil protection unit said bad weather would sweep the south of the country at night, and issued warnings for Friday in 11 of the country's 20 regions.
The Civil Protection Agency has prepared emergency shelters in schools and gyms for those forced from their homes after strong winds and rain swept the area stretching from the coast to tourist Florence, killing a man in Lucca and a woman in Carrara, according to regional authorities.
Four people were injured by falling trees at a camping site on the beach in Marina di Massa, while 4 others were taken to hospital in the town of Parga.
It is noteworthy that Europe recorded record temperatures during the past weeks, which led to a decline in water levels in major rivers, and the transformation of green spaces into barren lands.
Scientists say extreme weather conditions around the world are becoming more frequent due to climate change, and will likely intensify as temperatures rise.