Europe weather chaos - live: Italy braces for Storm Boris flooding as Portugal wildfires blaze and deaths rise

Extreme weather is sweeping across Europe with catastrophic flooding caused by Storm Boris that may reach Italy while five thousand firefighters are struggling to contain wildfires in Portugal .

Hot, dry conditions behind the fire outbreaks in Portugal came while downpours were concurrently causing flooding in central Europe.

Heavy rain is expected over much of Italy over the next few days, with the region of Emilia-Romagna and Lazio under yellow weather alerts.

Six people have died, including four firefighters, in northern Portugal and an unknown number of people have been forced to flee their homes.

The death toll from the severe floods in central Europe, which began over the weekend, rose to at least 21 on Tuesday, with seven confirmed fatalities in Romania . Poland, Austria, and the Czech Republic were also among the hardest hit.

Some 100 fires in Portugal have been reported by national authorities causing more than 50 people to be injured.

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, declared a state of natural disaster across the affected region of southern Poland.