In Western Europe remains abnormally hot weather. Third day in a row temperature records are recorded in France, second in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, the first in Luxembourg.

In France the day of July 25 was updated highs in many cities. In Paris, the temperature rose to 42.6°C, the previous record of July 28, 1947, was 40.4°C. the New maximum value by more than 2 degrees higher than the previous one. In Lille the difference between a new high (41,4°C) and previous (37.6°C, July 27, 2018) is about 4 degrees, said Stormnews.

In 20 departments of the country remain alert “red” level, in the 60 “orange.” In the North of France on red alert introduced for the first time. Earlier, during the previous peak heat at the end of June, a red alert level was introduced in the four southern departments of the country, reports RFI.

Due to the heat wave France is suffering from a drought. According to the government portal Propluvia, drought touched the 77 departments of the country, which has faced water shortages. 29 of them were in a crisis situation – there are measures of water saving for businesses and private individuals.

National record to 46°C recorded in France last month, will not be beaten.

In Germany, where yesterday in Gelsenkirchen, the thermometer rose to the level of 40.5°C, the air is heated up to 42.6°C in Lingen – a city in the northwestern part of the country.

In Belgium on Wednesday, the record was recorded in the village, the Kleine Brogel, he stood at 39.9°C. on Thursday in the village Batam for the North-West of the country the temperature rose to 40.7°C.

In the Netherlands, on 24 July in Eindhoven, the thermometer rose to the level of 39.3°C, July 25, in the municipality of Gilze-EN-Rijen warmed up to 40.7°C.

In Luxembourg on 25 July, the temperature rose to 39°C. This value was recorded at the international airport Luxembourg-Findel. The previous record was held at the same place August 12, 2003, it was 37.9°C, according to Stormnews with reference to the Tageblatt.

In the UK the temperature did not reach the national record, which was recorded on 10 August 2003 in Faversham and is 38.5°C. But also it was very hot in the southern half of England today’s high in Cambridge made up to 38.1°C. </s> On a day that no one on the continent will ever forget, two potential drug dealers in Belgium even called the police, begging to be rescued from the locked container they managed to get themselves trapped in.

Temperature records that had stood for decades or even just days fell minute by minute Thursday afternoon and Europeans and tourists alike jumped into fountains, lakes, rivers or the sea to escape a suffocating heat wave rising up from the Sahara.

It was nearly impossible to keep up with the falling records as temperatures climbed higher and higher under a brutal sun — in Paris and London, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands — all places where air conditioning is not typically installed in homes, cafes, or stores. Even office air conditioning systems strained under the hot, dry air that was trapped between two stormy weather systems.

Climate scientists warned these types of heat waves could become the new normal but they loom as a giant challenge for temperate Europe. As emissions keep warming the planet, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, although it’s too early to know whether this specific hot spell is linked to man-made climate change.

‘‘There is likely the DNA of climate change in the record-breaking heat that Europe and other parts of the world are experiencing. And it is unfortunately going to continue to worsen,’’ said Marshall Shepherd, professor of meteorology at University of Georgia.

Electric fans sold out across Paris — and traditional folding fans made a comeback on the city’s stuffy Metro. Trains were canceled in Britain and France, and authorities in both nations urged travelers to stay home. Messages to ‘‘Hydrate yourselves!’’ blared from the radio and TV.

Still, the atmosphere was buoyant, as people sought to stay cool yet embrace the heat blast from the south.

Katy James, visiting Paris from Chicago, was one of the lucky ones to have a room with air conditioning but she was still out in the streets, enjoying the atmosphere.

‘‘We’ve had such a good time. The Parisians have been so accommodating. We’ve been getting water where ever we go. We got to play in the fountain. This was amazing,’’ James said.

France’s heat alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month’s heat wave , when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature of 46 degrees. On Thursday, about one-fifth of French territory was under a red alert, stretching from the English Channel through the Paris region and down to Burgundy and affecting at least 20 million people.

French authorities have been particularly wary, since a 2003 heat wave killed nearly 15,000 people, many of them elderly people alone in stiflingly hot apartments.

‘‘The science behind heat wave attribution is very robust — the first extreme weather event to be definitively linked to global warming was the 2003 European heat wave,’’ said NASA climate scientist Kate Marvel. ‘‘We know that as the climate warms, heat waves become more likely and more severe.’’

So as tourists frolicked in fountains, authorities and volunteers in Paris and London fanned out to help the elderly, sick and homeless, opening centers for them to rest, cool down and shower.

‘‘They are in the street all day, under the sun. No air conditioning, no way to protect oneself from the heat,’’ said Ruggero Gatti, an IT worker joining other Red Cross volunteers handing out water bottles, soup and yogurt to the homeless in the Paris suburb of Boulogne.

Across the Channel, the heat damaged overhead electric wires between London’s St. Pancras train station and Luton Airport, blocking all train lines. East Midlands Trains posted a message to passengers on Twitter, saying simply ‘‘DO NOT TRAVEL.’’

The sheer levels of heat on Thursday afternoon were nothing short of astonishing:

— The Paris area hit 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 degrees Fahrenheit), beating the previous record of 40.4 C (104.7 F) set in 1947.

— The Netherlands’ meteorological institute announced a record that beat the previous record set just a day ago: 40.4 C (104.7 F) Thursday in the municipality of Gilze Rijen, near the border with Belgium.

— Belgium hit all-time records twice in the day, rising to 40.7 C (105.3 F) in the western town of Beitem. ‘‘This is the highest recorded temperature for Belgium in history since the beginning of the measurements in 1833,’’ said Alex Dewalque of the country’s Royal Meteorological Institute.

— The northern German town of Lingen set a new national temperature record at least three times Thursday afternoon, finally hitting 42.6 C (108.7 F). Those repeated records came after the country had set a national record Wednesday of 40.5 C (104.9 F) in Geilenkirchen near the Belgian border.

— London recorded its hottest day on record for July, with the mercury climbing to 36.9 C (98.4 F) at Heathrow Airport. The previous July record was 36.7 C (98 F) in 2015.

— Britain was waiting to see if temperatures blow by the national record of 38.5 C (101.3 F) set back in August 2003. Britain’s Met Office said its temperature records go back to 1865.

— The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment issued a ‘‘smog alarm’’ Thursday for areas including the densely populated cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague due to high ozone levels.

In Germany, Switzerland and Austria, some communities painted vital rail tracks white in hopes the light color would bring down the temperature by a few degrees and the tracks would not get warped by the heat. German railways Deutsche Bahn said passengers who had booked tickets for Thursday or Friday and wanted to delay their trips could do so without charge.

In Cologne in western Germany, volunteers offered free water to passersby while others sunbathed on the dried-up banks of the Rhine River. In Bavaria’s prisons, inmates were getting cold cucumber soup, fruit and yoghurt for lunch and more water than normal.

In Austria, a 2-year-old died of dehydration Wednesday in the country’s Styria region after he climbed into an overheated parked car without his family noticing.

Social media had fun with an image that showed that even Queen Elizabeth II, one of the world’s wealthiest women, needed relief from the heat. An image of the monarch meeting new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday showed what appears to be a Dyson fan, a tower-like design that stood out against the delicate gilt edged decor at Buckingham Palace.

As intense as it was, the heat in Europe is expected to be short, with temperatures forecast to drop on Friday and Saturday.

Grieshaber reported from Berlin. Deborah Gouffran in Boulogne, France, Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, Bishr Eltouni and Raf Casert in Brussels, Daniel Niemann in Cologne, Germany, Danica Kirka in London and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed. </s> PARIS (AP) — Even ice cream, Italian gelato or Popsicles couldn’t help this time.

Temperature records that had stood for decades or even just days fell minute by minute Thursday afternoon and Europeans and tourists alike jumped into fountains, lakes, rivers or the sea to escape a suffocating heat wave rising up from the Sahara.

On a day that no one on the continent will ever forget, two potential drug dealers in Belgium even called the police, begging to be rescued from the locked container they managed to get themselves trapped in.

It was nearly impossible to keep up with the falling records as temperatures climbed higher and higher under a brutal sun — in Paris and London, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands — all places where air conditioning is not typically installed in homes, cafes or stores. Even office air conditioning systems strained under the hot, dry air that was trapped between two stormy weather systems.

Climate scientists warned these types of heat waves could become the new normal but they loom as a giant challenge for temperate Europe. As emissions keep warming the planet, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, although it’s too early to know whether this specific hot spell is linked to man-made climate change.

“There is likely the DNA of climate change in the record-breaking heat that Europe and other parts of the world are experiencing. And it is unfortunately going to continue to worsen,” said Marshall Shepherd, professor of meteorology at University of Georgia.

Electric fans sold out across Paris — and traditional folding fans made a comeback on the city’s stuffy Metro. Trains were canceled in Britain and France, and authorities in both nations urged travelers to stay home. Messages to “Hydrate yourselves!” blared from the radio and TV.

Still, the atmosphere was buoyant, as people sought to stay cool yet embrace the heat blast from the south.

Katy James, visiting Paris from Chicago, was one of the lucky ones to have a room with air conditioning but she was still out in the streets, enjoying the atmosphere.

“We’ve had such a good time. The Parisians have been so accommodating. We’ve been getting water where ever we go. We got to play in the fountain. This was amazing,” James said.

France’s heat alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month’s heat wave , when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature of 46 degrees. On Thursday, about one-fifth of French territory was under a red alert, stretching from the English Channel through the Paris region and down to Burgundy and affecting at least 20 million people.

French authorities have been particularly wary, since a 2003 heat wave killed nearly 15,000 people, many of them elderly people alone in stiflingly hot apartments.

“The science behind heat wave attribution is very robust — the first extreme weather event to be definitively linked to global warming was the 2003 European heat wave,” said NASA climate scientist Kate Marvel. “We know that as the climate warms, heat waves become more likely and more severe.”

So as tourists frolicked in fountains, authorities and volunteers in Paris and London fanned out to help the elderly, sick and homeless, opening centers for them to rest, cool down and shower.

“They are in the street all day, under the sun. No air conditioning, no way to protect oneself from the heat,” said Ruggero Gatti, an IT worker joining other Red Cross volunteers handing out water bottles, soup and yogurt to the homeless in the Paris suburb of Boulogne.

Across the Channel, the heat damaged overhead electric wires between London’s St. Pancras train station and Luton Airport, blocking all train lines. East Midlands Trains posted a message to passengers on Twitter, saying simply “DO NOT TRAVEL.”

The sheer levels of heat on Thursday afternoon were nothing short of astonishing:

— The Paris area hit 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 degrees Fahrenheit), beating the previous record of 40.4 C (104.7 F) set in 1947.

— The Netherlands’ meteorological institute announced a record that beat the previous record set just a day ago: 40.4 C (104.7 F) Thursday in the municipality of Gilze Rijen, near the border with Belgium.

— Belgium hit all-time records twice in the day, rising to 40.7 C (105.3 F) in the western town of Beitem. “This is the highest recorded temperature for Belgium in history since the beginning of the measurements in 1833,” said Alex Dewalque of the country’s Royal Meteorological Institute.

— The northern German town of Lingen set a new national temperature record at least three times Thursday afternoon, finally hitting 42.6 C (108.7 F). Those repeated records came after the country had set a national record Wednesday of 40.5 C (104.9 F) in Geilenkirchen near the Belgian border.

— London recorded its hottest day on record for July, with the mercury climbing to 36.9 C (98.4 F) at Heathrow Airport. The previous July record was 36.7 C (98 F) in 2015.

— Britain was waiting to see if temperatures blow by the national record of 38.5 C (101.3 F) set back in August 2003. Britain’s Met Office said its temperature records go back to 1865.

— The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment issued a “smog alarm” Thursday for areas including the densely populated cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague due to high ozone levels.

In Germany, Switzerland and Austria, some communities painted vital rail tracks white in hopes the light color would bring down the temperature by a few degrees and the tracks would not get warped by the heat. German railways Deutsche Bahn said passengers who had booked tickets for Thursday or Friday and wanted to delay their trips could do so without charge.

In Cologne in western Germany, volunteers offered free water to passersby while others sunbathed on the dried-up banks of the Rhine River. In Bavaria’s prisons, inmates were getting cold cucumber soup, fruit and yoghurt for lunch and more water than normal.

In Austria, a 2-year-old died of dehydration Wednesday in the country’s Styria region after he climbed into an overheated parked car without his family noticing.

Social media had fun with an image that showed that even Queen Elizabeth II, one of the world’s wealthiest women, needed relief from the heat. An image of the monarch meeting new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday showed what appears to be a Dyson fan, a tower-like design that stood out against the delicate gilt edged decor at Buckingham Palace.

As intense as it was, the heat in Europe is expected to be short, with temperatures forecast to drop on Friday and Saturday.

Grieshaber reported from Berlin. Deborah Gouffran in Boulogne, France, Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, Bishr Eltouni and Raf Casert in Brussels, Daniel Niemann in Cologne, Germany, Danica Kirka in London and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> • Europe is being blasted by another massive heat wave, that could break records again, one month after some countries experienced their highest-ever temperatures.
• Two swimmers were found dead this week in England in the high heat, and two more are missing.
• One French city has already set a new heat record, while temperatures across France, England, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany are expected to peak on Thursday.
• Countries are on high alert as Paris, France, could reach 42 C (107.6 F), while parts of Germany could reach 41 C (105.8 F), and parts of Belgium are forecast to reach 40 C (104 F).

Europe is battling a second extreme heat wave of the summer, which could break temperature records, and has already been associated with at least two deaths.

The heat is blasting northern and western Europe with temperatures that have already beaten some all-time records, and is yet to peak.

Many places in Europe have not long recovered from a heatwave a few weeks ago which set new records.

London is expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, and temperatures in England could top the all-time record there of 38.5 C Celsius (101.3 F).

France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands are all preparing to be hit by extreme heat as well.

London’s Metropolitan police said Wednesday that it found the body of one man who went swimming in the Thames, and that it was still searching for two other men who went missing in the river.

Police also found a body in a water park in Gloucestershire, south-western England, on Tuesday.

Read more: How extreme summer heat affects your body and brain

Swimming-related deaths tend to spike in extreme heat as people enter bodies of water – like the Thames – which are rarely used for swimming.

The French city of Bordeaux hit its highest-ever recorded temperature on Tuesday, at 41.2 degrees C (106.1 F), and France’s emergency services are on high alert as temperatures are set to rise into Thursday.

Paris could then reach 42 C (107.6 Farenheit) – the highest temperature ever recorded in the city.

Read more: 6 unexpected ways to survive a heat wave without air conditioning, from freezing your sheets to practicing a ‘cooling breath’

German Meteorological Service DWD warned that temperatures could reach 41 C (105.8 F) in some parts of the country on Thursday.

Andreas Friedrich, a spokesperson for DWD, said: “If these predictions are met, this heatwave would go down in the history books

“As a meteorologist, I have never seen anything like this before.”

Brussels, Belgium, is forecast to reach 40 C on Thursday, and much of the country is on red alert, which Belgian authorities say are only issued for “extremely high temperatures.”

Read more: The climate crisis is inherently unfair. These 9 countries will get hit especially hard as the globe heats up.

The Netherlands is under an orange alert until Friday, with authorities implementing the country’s national heat plan. Parts of the country could reach 39 C (102.2 F) on Thursday. The current record is 38.6 C (101.5 F).

England’s public health service told people to “know the steps to take for keeping cool and that you’re looking out for those who are more vulnerable in the heat.”

The UK Met Office also urged people to look out for vulnerable people, like the elderly, and to keep out of direct sunlight. Train companies ran reduced services as they were forced to slow down to prevent railway lines from buckling in the heat.

According to The Local France, 80 of the 96 regions in mainland France are on alert because of the heat, and water restrictions are in place across the country.

Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, and Sweden are also facing temperatures higher than 30 degrees C (86 F).

The heat comes just one month after a huge heatwave gripped much of the continent, breaking June temperature records in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, giving France its highest-ever recorded temperature, and prompting one Spanish meteorologist to tweet: “Hell is coming.”

One French village recorded temperatures of 45.1 C (113.18 F), and France opened new public pools and parks in a bid to keep people cool and avoid a repeat of a 2003 heatwave was linked to the deaths of 15,000 French people.

June ended up being the hottest month ever on record around the world.

Much of the eastern US has also been hit by a heatwave this month, with “oppressive and dangerous” heat. </s> PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - Soaring temperatures broke records in Germany, France, Britain and the Netherlands on Thursday, as a heatwave gripped Europe for the second time in a month in what scientists said were becoming more frequent events as the planet heats up.

As a cauldron of hot air from the Sahara desert moved across the continent, drawn northwards by high pressure, Paris saw its highest temperature since records began and Britain reported its hottest weather for the month of July.

An all-time high was measured in Germany for a second day running, at 41.5 degrees Celsius (106.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the northwestern town of Lingen - similar temperatures to those in some Gulf Arab capitals on Thursday.

The unusual conditions brought a reduction in French and German nuclear power output, disrupted rail travel in parts of Britain and sent some Europeans, not habitual users of air conditioning in their homes, out to the shops in search of fans.

Health authorities issued warnings to the elderly, especially vulnerable to spikes in temperature. In cities, children splashed about in water fountains to cool off.

“It’s very hot at the moment. I saw 42 degrees (Celsius) is forecast for today,” said 19-year-old French tourist Ombeline Massot in the capital’s Montmartre district, where visitors drank chilled bottles of water and fanned themselves.

The mercury in Paris touched 42.6 C (108.68 F) in mid-afternoon, above the previous Paris record of 40.4 C (104.72 F) recorded in July 1947.

In Britain, the temperature reached its highest for July, hitting 38.1 C (100.58 F), said the Met Office, the national weather service. The temperature, recorded in Cambridge, beat the previously July record of 36.7 C (98.06°F) in 2015.

This was the second highest temperature recorded in the country. The hottest day, in August 2003, saw 38.5 C (101.3 F).

In the southern Netherlands, the temperature peaked at 40.4 C (104.7 F), topping 40 C (104 F) for the first time on record, Dutch meteorology institute KNMI said. That broke the national record of 39.3 C set the previous day. Before this week, the national heat record of 38.6 C had stood for 75 years.

The heat is expected to persist until Friday.

Climate specialists said such heatwaves are becoming more frequent as a result of global warming from greenhouse gas emissions.

Britons faced travel disruption, with trains being forced to slow down to prevent tracks buckling in the heat. Several train operators asked commuters not to travel or set off very early.

A Met Office study found that a heatwave like one that broke records last year was 30 times more likely to occur than in 1750, because of the high amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since the pre-industrial period the Earth’s surface temperature has risen by 1 degree Celsius.

“There is a 40-50% chance that this will be the warmest July on record. This heatwave is exactly in line with climate change predictions,” said Dr Karsten Haustein at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford.

Peter Inness, senior research fellow at the University of Reading, said: “The fact that so many recent years have had very high summer temperatures both globally and across Europe is very much in line with what we expect from man-made global warming.”

In northern Poland, toxic algae in the Baltic sea led to the closure of more than 15 beaches this summer, authorities said.

“The Baltic sea isn’t the cleanest and when the temperatures are so high, then these organisms multiply at lightning speed and beaches need to be closed,” said Jan Bondar, a spokesman for Poland’s Chief Sanitary Inspectorate.

Very high temperatures across Europe coupled with prolonged dry weather has cut French nuclear power generation by around 5.2 gigawatts (GW) or 8%, French power grid operator RTE’s data showed.

Electricity output was curtailed at six reactors by 0840 GMT on Thursday, while two other reactors were offline, data showed. High water temperatures and sluggish flows limit the ability to use river water to cool reactors.

In Germany, PreussenElektra, the nuclear unit of utility E.ON, said it would take its Grohnde reactor offline on Friday due to high temperatures in the Weser river. </s> Records also tumbled in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany while Paris saw its highest ever temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 Fahrenheit), beating the previous top of 40.4C (104.7F) set in July 1947.

Trains have been slowed in several European countries to avoid damage to the railway networks and French national operator SNCF urged travellers to delay journeys planned for Thursday.

In the sweltering French capital, tourists and locals alike made a beeline for fountains and even pools laid on by the authorities next to the Ourcq canal in the north of the city.

Authorities have warned people to keep an eye on those living alone and also to beware of taking the plunge to cool down after a spike in drownings.

The scorching weather spelled misery for millions of commuters on public transport.

"Its so hot in the metro, it's unbearable. There are so many people, no air conditioning and everyone is on top of each other," said Paris commuter Petra Ulm, 34, a clinical researcher.

The heatwave, which was expected to ease up on Friday as rain and thunderstorms move in, had again focused public attention on the problems caused by climate change.

In Britain, temperatures reached 36.9C (98.4F) at Heathrow, a record for July but still below the UK's all time high of 38.5C.

Those lucky enough to be by the sea could still enjoy the weather.

"It's obviously not so good for some people, but if you've got the day off and young kids then it's great for a day on the beach," said Graham Clarke, 50, an insurance agent, enjoying the sands of Broadstairs in southeast England.

The Netherlands, which broke a record dating back to 1944 on Wednesday, hit a new high Thursday of 40.4C in the south.

On Thursday, Germany again hit a national record of 41.5 C (106.7F) in Lingen, western Germany.

Belgium on Thursday also reached a new record high of 40.6 degrees Celsius (105F), on the Kleine-Brogel military base, in northeastern Belgium.

Two suspected drug smugglers had to call police in the Belgian port city of Antwerp after becoming trapped in a shipping container filled with cocaine, prosecutors said.

Hundreds of travellers were stuck on trains in sweltering conditions outside Paris for several hours late Wednesday after an electrical fire halted traffic in and out of the Gare de l'Est station in Paris.

Eurostar and Thalys services from Brussels to London and Paris also experienced major delays and cancellations after cable failure the day earlier.

"I ask everyone who can avoid or delay their journeys to do so," said French Environment Minister Elisabeth Borne, advising workers who could do their jobs at home not go to their offices.

The northern third of France, including Paris, was under a red alert while the rest of the country had a yellow warning and water-use restrictions were in force.

In Austria, a three-year-old child died of dehydration after going to sleep in a car parked in full sunshine at the family farm, local authorities said.

'Look after others'

France remains haunted by the early summer of 2003 when 15,000 deaths were blamed on the heat and the authorities were bitterly criticised for not mobilising fast enough.

"We need to take care of ourselves but above all others especially those who are alone, and be able to detect the first symptoms of heatstroke," said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

Local authorities have placed restrictions on water usage in many areas due to drought-like conditions that have seen ground and river water levels fall dramatically.

This summer's second heatwave has amplified concerns in Europe that human activity is heating the planet at a dangerous rate.

The June 26-28 blast of heat in France was four degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than an equally rare June heatwave would have been in 1900, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) team said this month.

One study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology said the deadly, weeks-long heatwave across northern Europe in 2018 would have been statistically impossible without climate change. </s> A heatwave gripping Europe has toppled all-time temperature records in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany — and further records could be broken in the UK today.

On Wednesday afternoon, Dutch meteorological service KNMI said it had recorded a temperature of 39.3°C in Eindhoven, breaking a national record set in Warnsveld in August 1944.

This was broken again on Thursday with a reading of 41.7°C in Deelen.

In Belgium, the all-time temperature high was broken on Wednesday in Kleine Brogel with 39.9°C. The former record was set in 1833 with 38.9°C.

Germany's meteorological service DWD released provisional temperature data on Wednesday, saying a temperature of 40.5°C had been reached in Geilenkirchen.

The data was not recorded within the DWD-monitored network, and is therefore still awaiting confirmation on a final result.

If confirmed, it would topple the nationwide record set in Kitzingen in 2015 with a temperature of 40.3°C.

Temperatures are also expected to reach national all-time highs in the UK on Thursday, surpassing a 38.5°C record set in August 2003.

By 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, temperatures had already hit 30°C at Heathrow airport.

National Rail has issued a warning to passengers and said speed restrictions would be in place throughout the day in order to prevent the tracks from buckling in the heat.

"A heavily reduced service is expected across many parts of the network today, and a number of train operators are advising customers not to travel unless absolutely necessary," a statement from the rail network said.

Record-breaking temperatures were also reported in Paris with a reading of 40.6°C at Montsouris weather station, breaking a 1947 high of 40.4°C.

The French cities of Lille, Rouen, Dijon and Strasbourg were also expected to break records on Thursday, following Reims, Dijon, Nancy, which broke their all-time highs the day before.

Meteo France, the country's national weather service, placed 80 departements on alert, with 20 on red — the highest level.

Patrick Galois, a senior weather forecaster at Meteo France, said there have been three times the number heatwaves in the last three decades than in the four decades before that.

He added: "The frequency has clearly increased and it should continue to do so in the decades to come."

Meanwhile, French health minister Agnès Buzyn cautioned everyone to take care by saying no one person was immune to extreme temperatures.

"There are risks even if you are not particularly vulnerable," she said.

Last month, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said Europe’s five hottest summers since 1500 had all occurred in the 21st century — in 2002, 2003, 2010, 2016 and 2018.

The current heatwave is being caused by an ‘omega block’ — a high-pressure pattern that is blocking and diverting a jet stream of warm air from Northern African and the Iberian Peninsula.

Dr Jean-Noël Thépaut, the director of Copernicus Climate Change Service at the European Weather Centre, told Euronews that while it was "difficult to attribute" the repeated hot weather to a singular event, there were "studies looking at attributions of heatwaves to climate change."

Referring to another record-breaking heatwave in June, he added: "It was at least five times more likely to have this type of heatwave [in Europe] because of climate change than without it.

Watch our Good Morning Europe report on the latest heatwave in the player above. </s> PARIS (AP) — Hot, hotter, hottest! Paris, London and places across Europe are sweltering under all-time high temperatures or near-record heat Thursday as the second heat wave this summer bakes the continent.

Climate scientists warn this could become the new normal in many parts of the world. But temperate Europe — where air conditioning is rare — isn’t equipped for the temperatures frying the region this week.

So tourists frolicked in fountains to seek relief, and authorities and volunteers fanned out to help the elderly, sick and homeless hit hardest by the heat. Trains were canceled in Britain and France, and French authorities urged travelers to stay home.

One by one, heat records are being broken across Europe. On Thursday afternoon the Paris area hit 40.6 C (105.1 F,) beating the previous record of 40.4 C (104.8 F) in 1947. Authorities said the temperature was still rising, as a result of hot, dry air coming from northern Africa that’s trapped between cold stormy systems.

London expects to see 39 C (102 F). And swaths of Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland could face temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F).

 In Belgium, the meteorological institute said the nation saw temperatures rise past the 40 C mark for the first time since records were kept in 1833. The new all-time high now stood at 40.2 C (104.4 F), recorded close to Liege in eastern Belgium’s Angleur on Wednesday.

Germany recorded 40.5 degrees (104.9 F) Wednesday, and the German Weather Service is expecting even higher temperatures Thursday.

 In Austria, a 2-year-old died of dehydration in the country’s Styria region after he climbed into an overheated parked car without his family noticing and fell asleep in it. </s> Dr. Jeff Masters ·

Above: A zookeeper (unseen) spills water on Asian elephants on June 25, 2019 at the zoo of Berlin. Temperatures hit 33°C (91.4°F) in the German capital on Tuesday. Europeans are baking in what forecasters are warning will likely be record-breaking temperatures for June with the mercury set to hit 40°C (104°F) as summer kicks in on the back of a wave of hot air from North Africa. Image credit: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images.

A ferociously hot airmass from the Sahara Desert has moved northward into Western Europe and will bring a dangerous heat wave unprecedented for June for the remainder of the week. All-time national heat records for June are likely to fall in multiple countries, and some nations may challenge all-time heat records set during the great heat wave of 2003, which killed over 70,000 people.

As of 11 am EDT Tuesday (5 pm local time in France), the temperature in Paris had soared to 32.4°C (90.5°F), making Tuesday the first of a string of five days likely to have high temperatures in excess of 90°F. The WU forecast for Paris calls for high temperatures of 93 – 98°F Wednesday through Saturday.

As of 11 am EDT Tuesday, Carpentras, France had recorded a high temperature of 38.4°C (101.1°F). This falls 3°C short of the highest fully reliable June temperature in France of 41.5°C (106.7°F) on June 21, 2003 at Lézignan-Corbières, according to Etienne Kapikian (Météo-France). Other June readings as high as 42.2°C are less reliable, Kapikian said. The June heat record for France is likely to fall on Wednesday or Thursday in southern portions of the nation.

Wildfire danger is predicted to steadily increase during week, reaching the “Extreme” level by the weekend over portions of France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic, according the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. The European Union is already well above recent norms for hectares burned & number of fires ignited in 2019.

Another aspect to watch as the #Europe heatwave unfolds this week is the wildfire risk. The European Union is already well above recent norms for hectares burned & number of fires ignited YTD. pic.twitter.com/EiUSFgidN6 — Steve Bowen (@SteveBowenWx) June 24, 2019

An unusually early heat wave

Much like the eastern U.S., Europe tends to get its hottest temperatures of the year later in the summer, in July and especially toward August. All-time national records, some of which may be challenged this week, include:

Austria: 40.5°C (104.9°F), August 8, 2013

40.5°C (104.9°F), August 8, 2013 Belgium: 38.8°C (101.8°F), July 2, 2015

38.8°C (101.8°F), July 2, 2015 Czech Republic: 40.4°C (104.7°F), August 20, 2012

40.4°C (104.7°F), August 20, 2012 Denmark: 36.4°C (97.5°F), August 10, 1975

36.4°C (97.5°F), August 10, 1975 France: 44.1°C (111.4°F), August 12, 2003

44.1°C (111.4°F), August 12, 2003 Germany: 40.3°C (104.5°F), July 5 and August 7, 2015

40.3°C (104.5°F), July 5 and August 7, 2015 Liechtenstein: 37.4°C (99.3°F), August 13, 2003

37.4°C (99.3°F), August 13, 2003 Luxembourg: 39.9°C (103.8°F), August 8, 2003

39.9°C (103.8°F), August 8, 2003 Netherlands: 38.6°C (101.5°F), August 23, 1944

38.6°C (101.5°F), August 23, 1944 Switzerland: 39.7°C (103.5°F), July 7, 2015

Some of these all-time June records are even more likely to tumble:

Austria: 38.6°C (101.48°F), June 20, 2013

38.6°C (101.48°F), June 20, 2013 Belgium: 38.7°C (101.7°F), June 27, 1947

38.7°C (101.7°F), June 27, 1947 Czech Republic: 38.2°C (100.8°F), June 22, 2000

38.2°C (100.8°F), June 22, 2000 Denmark: 35.5°C (95.9°F), June 29, 1947

35.5°C (95.9°F), June 29, 1947 France: 41.5°C (106.7°F), June 21, 2003

41.5°C (106.7°F), June 21, 2003 Germany: 38.5°C (101.3°F), June 27, 1947

38.5°C (101.3°F), June 27, 1947 Luxembourg: 36.1°C (97.0°F), June 22, 2017

36.1°C (97.0°F), June 22, 2017 Netherlands: 38.4°C (101.1°F), June 29, 1947

38.4°C (101.1°F), June 29, 1947 Switzerland: 37.3°C (99.1°F), June 21, 2003

The airmass (at 850 hPa) in France may be > 30°C this week.



To get perspective how anomalous it is, here's ERA5 T850 maximum for any month and for June. Clearly an all-time record (at least for 41 years), and totally unheard of for June.#heatwave pic.twitter.com/YAhXExbUUO — Mika Rantanen (@mikarantane) June 25, 2019

Early-season heat waves are especially dangerous

Heat waves are especially dangerous when they occur early in the summer, before people have had time to adapt to the seasonal heat. A 2015 report from the World Meteorological Organization and World Health Organization on heatwaves and health notes:

“Heatwave timing appears to have a notable effect on the level of mortality. Heatwaves occurring early in the summer have been shown to be associated with greater impacts on mortality in the same population than later heatwaves of comparable or higher temperatures (Hajat et al., 2002; Kinney et al., 2008; Anderson and Bell, 2011). The impact of high temperatures later in the summer is sometimes diminished after an early heatwave.

“In Europe, heatwaves occurring in June result in relatively high mortality compared to later in the summer, while most high-mortality events in southern Asia appear to occur early in the summer before the summer monsoon."

Figure 1. Heat forecast from Tuesday, June 25, 2019 from The Weather Company. The most widespread anomalous heat, with temperatures more than 12°C (22°F) above average (pink colors), are predicted on Wednesday and Thursday.

Europe’s heat wave history

The hottest summers since 1500 AD in Europe were 2018, 2010, 2003, 2016, 2002. Europe’s deadliest heat-wave catastrophe occurred in the first two weeks of August 2003. Great Britain saw its first 100°F readings in more than 300 years of recordkeeping, and all-time national heat records were also set in France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Leichtenstein.

According to statistics from EM-DAT, the 2003 European heat wave was the deadliest in world history, with over 70,000 deaths. Hardest-hit were Italy (20,089 deaths), France (19,490 deaths), and Spain (15,090 deaths). Below is the list of top ten deadliest heat waves in world history as compiled by EM-DAT (which uses direct deaths for their statistics, and not excess mortality):



The 10 Deadliest Heat Waves in World History

1) Europe, 2003: 71,310

2) Russia, 2010: 55,736|

3) France/Belgium, 2015: 3,685

4) India/Pakistan, 2015: 3,477

5) Europe, 2006: 3,418

6) India, 1998: 2,541

7) U.S. and Canada, 1936: 1,693

8) India/Pakistan/Bangladesh, 2003: 1,472

9) U.S., 1980: 1,260

10) India, 2002: 1,030

A landmark 2004 study led by Peter Stott (University of Reading) found that human-produced climate change made heat waves on par with the European disaster of 2003 about four times more likely to occur.

Data show that the normally eastward atmospheric summer circulation of the NH mid-latitudes has slowed down, including the jet stream. This favors more hot-and-dry conditions over the continent and is likely linked to Arctic warming. Coumou et al. 2015: https://t.co/wsQbn8l5VP pic.twitter.com/VqaIp3rNVS — Stefan Rahmstorf (@rahmstorf) June 24, 2019

Bob Henson contributed to this post, and thanks go to Maximiliano Herrera for providing European national weather records.
A number of national maximum temperature records are broken, several surpassing records set the previous day: Germany sees 42.6 °C (108.7 °F) at Lingen, Belgium 41.8 °C (107.2 °F) at Begijnendijk and The Netherlands 40.7 °C (105.3 °F) at Gilze en Rijen.