Western Europe is baking under a punishing heatwave, and forecasters say the worst may still be ahead as temperatures keep climbing and fresh records come under threat.
France is among the countries feeling the strain most acutely, with hundreds of schools adjusting their schedules in an effort to manage the heat.
Weather officials warned of an “intense and long-lasting” heatwave that could push temperatures in the Paris region above 40C on a June day for the first time.
More than half of France’s population is estimated to be living through the searing conditions.
The national forecaster urged people to be “very cautious”, describing the episode as “widespread, prolonged and intense”.
Children cool off in the French city of Nice
President Emmanuel Macron appealed for “great vigilance” and called on the public to focus on “taking care of the oldest, the most vulnerable”.
Health Minister Stephanie Rist also urged young people to be “really careful with alcohol and physical activity” as France prepares for its annual “La Fete de la Musique” on Sunday, the nationwide festival that typically draws millions into the streets to dance and celebrate.
France has just come through its hottest spring since records began in 1900, with the nationwide average temperature from March to May sitting about 1.7C above normal.
Elsewhere across Europe, officials are stepping up warnings as extreme weather threats spread.
Forecasters in Germany said parts of the country should brace for thunderstorms, hail and heavy rain over the weekend.
Meteorologists said England and Wales have already recorded their warmest spring on record, although Britain is not expected to face heat as severe as that gripping mainland Europe.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying these kinds of extremes, making heatwaves, droughts and floods both more frequent and more severe.
A man seeks relief from the heat in the German capital, Berlin
This is the second heatwave of the year for tens of millions of people across Western Europe.
Britain, France, Switzerland, Germany and Spain have all increased alert levels for the days ahead, while several cities in northern and central Italy have done the same.
The UK’s Met Office said there was a 40% chance that the record for the hottest June day, set in 1976, could be broken.
Spain’s civil protection agency warned that a prolonged stretch of extreme heat would affect most of the country, including the Balearic Islands, from Sunday and for much of next week.
With climate change, “we’re seeing more extremes of temperatures, we’re breaking records more frequently”, Alex Deakin of the UK Met Office said.
“When you get hot spells, they’re that much hotter. And when you get rainy spells, they’re that much rainier,” he said.
