Millions of people across Europe faced extreme and exceptionally high temperatures on Tuesday as an early summer heat wave gripped the continent, with France reporting 40 drowning deaths over the past week as residents sought relief from the scorching weather.
France has been the hardest-hit European country so far, with temperatures expected to remain high day and night. The country's weather service, Meteo France, placed 54 departments, nearly half of the country, under a red heat wave alert.
Italy, Spain and Britain have also been affected by the heat.
Scientists say human-induced climate change is contributing to increasingly extreme weather events, while projections by the UN climate agency indicate that more heat records are likely to be broken over the next five years.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the 40 drowning victims recorded since last Thursday were mainly young people.
In a country where air conditioning is not widespread, the heat wave has disrupted schools, public transportation and sporting events. Extreme conditions are expected to continue at least until the end of the week, with daytime temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many areas.
Meteo France warned that more record-breaking temperatures are expected, with some potentially surpassing all previous records regardless of the time of year.
The weather service described the heat wave as exceptionally intense and unusually early in the summer, though its duration remains uncertain. It has already drawn comparisons with the devastating August 2003 heat wave, which claimed an estimated 15,000 lives in France, many of them elderly people living in homes and care facilities without air conditioning.
According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s.
The World Health Organization's Europe office said earlier this month that more than 200,000 people across Europe had died from heat-related causes over the past four years and that most of those deaths were preventable.
Health experts warn that prolonged exposure to above-average temperatures can lead to heat exhaustion and potentially fatal heat stroke.
Across the English Channel, Britain also faced severe heat conditions. Several schools announced closures and train services were disrupted after the UK Met Office issued a red extreme heat warning for Wednesday and Thursday, with forecasts suggesting that June's all-time temperature record could be broken.
Temperatures of around 37 C (98.6 F) are forecast for southern England and up to 35 C (95 F) in southeast Wales, with highs potentially reaching at least 39 C (102.2 F) during the peak of the heat wave.
Several train operators canceled services to ensure safety, while National Rail urged people to travel only if absolutely necessary.
Meanwhile, Spain is experiencing a heat wave across several parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
Spain's national weather agency, Aemet, issued red alerts for temperatures of up to 44 C (111 F) in southern Andalusia and warned that temperatures could reach 40 C (104 F) in the usually temperate regions of Cantabria and the Basque Country.
Aemet meteorologist Rubén del Campo said Spain's increasingly intense summers are linked to climate change, with heat waves becoming more frequent, lasting longer and occurring outside the traditional summer months of July and August.
Of the 12 June heat waves recorded by Aemet since 1975, six have occurred since 2015, he noted.
According to Copernicus, both Europe and the world experienced their hottest year on record in 2024, while the continent saw its second-highest number of heat-stress days.
Scientists have warned that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat and drought, particularly in southeastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to health risks and wildfires.