CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Here's what you need to see and know today

As Greece swelters in another heat wave, children are finding some cool respite — and fun — in a fountain near a cultural center in Athens. Things are set to worsen in the Greek capital over the weekend, with temperatures approaching 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius) in yet another, and hopefully final, July heat wave in the country, meteorologists said.

The blistering temperatures just keep on coming during the northern hemisphere summer, with records toppling around the world and global averages reaching uncharted hot territory. Others are seeing deadly summer storms and flash floods — scientists say human-caused climate change exacerbates all kinds of extreme weather.

Here’s what’s happening related to extreme weather and the climate right now:

— In the second storm to ravage the Balkans this week, at least three people have died in Serbia, according to local reports. Meteorologists said the storms were of such powerful magnitude because they followed a string of extremely hot days.

— A tornado that ripped through a Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in eastern North Carolina on Wednesday is unlikely to cause major drug supply shortages, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said, as the twister mainly affected storage facilities. Read more from Hannah Schoenbaum.

— As The Associated Press’ climate news director Peter Prengaman packs up his life in Phoenix to move to New York, he reflects on how his four years in the baking desert sun are a sign of what’s to come for more people in a warming world.

— In a devastating blow to farmers in Vermont, recent floods in the U.S. Northeast that dumped two months of rain over just a couple of days have washed away or damaged crops, reports Steve LeBlanc.

— Hops for beer are withering in the heat. One farm in Bavaria is using solar panels to shade them and make electricity at the same time. And there are other solar-over-crop projects sprouting around the world, as Matthias Schrader and Dana Beltaji report.

— And in Seattle, climate activists used ropes, a harness and a hammock to take residence in the branches of an old cedar tree to prevent it from being cut down. It's the latest in a series of tensions around Seattle's tree policy, with activists pointing out the benefits of tree canopy as shading for residents from sizzling temperatures, as Manuel Valdes reports.

QUOTABLE:

“Gross.” — AP climate director Peter Prengaman's 12-year-old son, as a quesadilla cooked on the sidewalk in Phoenix's 117-degree Fahrenheit (47-degree Celsius) heat.

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.