• 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> Temperatures in France are expected to reach a record-breaking high on Friday, as Europe continues to endure a sweltering heat wave which sparked an out-of-control wildfire in Spain.

Governments warned citizens to take extra precautions, with the week-long heat wave causing a build-up of pollution and fears of an increase in emergency calls across Europe.

French meteorologists have forecast temperatures that may exceed 45 degrees Celsius on Friday, a high never seen in mainland France.

The current record was set in August 2003 in the southern region of Montpellier and Nimes, when the thermometer hit 44.1 degrees Celsius.

“To beat this record so early in the year would be exceptional,” said meteorologist Christelle Robert.

The average maximum temperature recorded Wednesday in France of 34.9 C was already a record for the month of June, said state weather forecaster Meteo France.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned that such extreme weather is likely to become more frequent as a result of global warming.

“We will need to change our set-up, our way of working, build differently,” he said, stressing a necessary “adaption of society and its habits.”

French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn on Thursday said people had to be prepared for the peak of the heat wave and expressed irritation that some appeared not to be listening to advice.

She complained about parents leaving their children in the car and joggers exercising in the midday heat.

A forest fire in Torre del Espanol in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region raged out of control, devouring land despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters.

Catalonia’s forest agent service said the fire likely began when an “improperly managed” pile of manure at a chicken farm self-combusted in the extreme heat.

Some 350 firefighters backed by around 230 soldiers and 15 aerial tanker aircrafts were at the scene of the blaze on Thursday.

“The situation is critical,” said fire service chief Antonio Ramos. “We haven’t seen a fire like this (in the region) in 20 years.”

With temperatures expected to reach up to 42 C on Friday, Spain has issued a “red level” warning to its population.

In the Italian city of Milan, a 72-year-old homeless man was found dead at the main train station after falling ill due to the heat wave, the local authorities said.

As Germans attempted to cool off amid scorching temperatures, at least four people died in bathing accidents in different parts of the country on Wednesday.

Some areas of the country were experiencing water shortages and some residents in the North Rhine-Westphalia state were told to only use drinking water for vital purposes or face a €1,000 ($1,137) fine.

There has been no coordinated shutdown of schools but some have closed in parts of France, while others advised parents to keep children at home.

In Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Strasbourg, authorities have banned the most-polluting cars from the roads.

Residents of the French city of Grenoble were unable to use two municipal swimming pools despite the record temperatures, due to a row sparked by use of the full-body Islamic burkini swimsuit.

Lifeguards had asked for the shutdown after Muslim women clad in burkinis had gone to swim in defiance of a municipal ban. </s> Hundreds of firefighters are struggling to contain a wildfire that continues to spread over heavily forested hills in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia. Firefighters said Thursday that the blaze was not under control.

"We're at a moment when the blaze is getting bigger," Miquel Buch, the regional interior minister, told local media.

At least 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) have burned so far, and around 50 people have been evacuated. The regional government estimated that the fire could expand to 20,000 hectares.

Buch said what is estimated to be the worst wildfire to hit the region in 20 years could have been sparked by improperly stored chicken manure that combusted in extreme temperatures at a farm in the village of Torre de l'Espanyol.

Firefighters said the steep terrain, winds, and temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) were making the blaze difficult to control.

"It's complicated. We won't get it stabilized today," regional firefighting chief Manuel Pardo told Spanish public television. There have been no reports of any casualties from the fire.

On Thursday, France's weather service, Meteo France, said it recorded the country's highest-ever temperature for the month of June, at 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) in Grospierres, a village in the country's southeast.

The highest temperature ever recorded in France was 44.1 degrees Celsius (111.3 Fahrenheit), which was measured in southern France during a 2003 heat wave that killed thousands of people.

Meteo France said temperatures in parts of southern France could climb to between 42 and 45 degrees Celsius on Friday, which could break the high temperature record. Parts of Spain and Italy are also expected to top 40 degrees.

France's weather service said Thursday four administrative regions in the country's south had been placed on

red alert, with outdoor sports events and festivals to be postponed. Parents would be allowed to keep their children home from school.

The red alert is the first issued by French authorities for a dangerous heat wave, affecting the cities of Marseille, Nimes, Montpellier and Avignon.

Read more: Climate change sets the world on fire

"This heat wave is unprecedented in France. It is exceptional in its intensity," French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said.

French authorities extended restrictions on vehicles, already imposed in Paris and Lyon, to Marseille and Strasbourg in an effort to curb air pollution.

The French electrical grid operator, RTE, said that electricity demand on Thursday was nearing the summer record seen two years ago, as people keep air conditioners running at full blast.

Read more: Germany sweats through hottest June day ever

Meteorologists blame a blast of hot air from northern Africa for scorching temperatures so early in the European summer.

Germany on Thursday enjoyed a reprieve from the extreme heat after record-breaking temperatures were recorded in parts of the country earlier in the week. However, the mercury is expected to climb in central Europe over the weekend.

Every evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> France recorded its all-time highest temperature on Friday amid a blistering heat wave that has been baking most of Europe all week.

The temperature rose to 45.1 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southern village of Villevieille, state weather forecaster Meteo France said in a statement.

It was the second time in one day that France's heat record was broken, coming shortly after a temperature of 44.3 degrees Celsius was recorded in the town of Carpentras.

Prior to Friday, the previous record was 44.1 degrees Celsius, which was also logged in southern France, during a heat wave in August 2003 that killed thousands of people.

Meteo France warned that the new record could still be topped in the current heatwave.

France's national weather service also activated its highest-level heat alert for the first time on Friday, putting four regions near Marseille and Montpellier under special watch.

Thousands of schools have closed across France, as they could not guarantee safe conditions for students.

The heat has caused dangerous conditions all across Europe and has been blamed for at least two deaths in Spain.

According to police, a 93-year-old man near the city of Valladolid collapsed in the street and died due to the heat.

A 17-year-old died of heatstroke near the southern city of Cordoba shortly after jumping into a pool to cool off after working all day in the fields, regional health authorities said.

A major wildfire that broke out in northeastern Spain continued to burn out of control for a third straight day.

Hundreds of firefighters are working to contain the blaze, which is believed to have started in a pile of chicken dung. The fire in the Catalan province of Tarragona has also destroyed an estimated 6,500 hectares (16,061 acres) of forest so far.

Catalonia's interior minister, Miquel Buch, told reporters that the high temperatures and strong winds were complicating firefighting efforts.

Temperatures to last through weekend

In Berlin, police have been taking out water cannons — which are typically used against rioters — and using them on trees in the German capital in an effort to cool them off.

Germany's national weather service on Friday said temperatures in June were "4.4 degrees higher than the internationally recognized reference period of 1961 to 1990."

At least 16 cities in Italy have also been put on alert, with civil security services reportedly distributing water to tourists visiting historical sites in Rome.

Forecasters say the heat will continue through the weekend and into early next week.

DW sends a daily selection of hard news and quality journalism. Sign up here. </s> After a June heat wave smashed national temperature records in France and broke historic June records across Europe, a mass of hot air has returned to the continent.

On Wednesday, the Netherlands Meteorological Institute reported that the nation's all-time temperature record, which stood for the last 75 years, fell as temperatures hit 101.8 degrees Fahrenheit (38.8 C).

Belgium broke its national heat record too, as temperatures reached 103.8 F (39.9 C), reported David Dehenauw, the head of forecasting at the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. And the the German Meteorological Service announced its highest temperature in recorded history, of 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 C).

The Germany weather agency noted that this brand new record might last for one day.

That's because there's substantially more heat to come. On Thursday, the UK Met Office expects temperatures to reach over 102 F (39 C), easily toppling the nation's previous temperature record by nearly 1 degree F. Meanwhile, France's weather agency, Météo-France, predicts temperatures could reach 107.6 F (42 C) in Paris. This would smash the previous Parisian record of 40.4 C, set over 70 years ago. (Paris has temperature records going back to 1658, when Louis the Great reigned over the country.)

While heat waves are natural occurrences — typically caused by persistent weather patterns that allow big zones of high pressure to settle over a region and bring clear skies and warm air — Earth's relentlessly rising levels of background warming amplify heat waves, like an athlete pumping performance-enhancing drugs. This means that historic temperatures are expected to fall, have been falling, and will continue to fall.

"Global temperatures are increasing due to climate change and this means that Europe can expect more record-breaking heatwaves in the future," Len Shaffrey, a climate scientist at the University of Reading in the UK, told Mashable during June's heat wave.

Boosted global temperatures have at least doubled the probability of heat extremes in Europe, similar to last summer's scorching events, Shaffrey added.

Over the last 100 years, Europe has experienced an increase in heat waves. Since 1500 AD, the region's five hottest summers have occurred in 2018, 2016, 2010, 2003, and 2002.

European warming is right in line with the overall warming trend seen around the globe: Since 2001,18 of the last 19 years have been the warmest on record.

June 2019 rounded out as the warmest June in 139 years of record keeping. July could soon follow in its footsteps, meaning this July is in the running to be the hottest month ever recorded.

UPDATE: July 24, 2019, 3:44 p.m. EDT: This story was updated to include Germany's temperature record. </s> A couple holds an umbrella to protect from the sun Thursday, June 27, 2019 at the Louvre museum in Paris. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

PRAGUE (AP) — France’s national weather service issued its highest-level danger alert Thursday as it warned that parts of the country could expect temperatures to reach an “exceptional peak” Friday amid a record-setting heat wave in Europe.

Meteo France raised the hazardous weather warning to “red,” the highest level, for the Marseille and Montpellier areas in southeastern France, forecasting hazardous temperatures of 42-45 degrees Celsius (107-113 F) on Friday.

It was the first red alert Meteo France activated since a four-level weather “vigilance” system was introduced following an estimated 15,000 heat-related deaths in France during a 2003 summer heat wave.

“A heat wave of this amplitude so early in the year, in June, is exceptional,” Meteo France meteorologist France Christelle Robert said. “We should expect more intense and frequent heat waves with climate change, because it will accentuate the extremes.”

The Italian Health Ministry said seven cities, including Florence, Rome and Turin, already were at Italy’s highest heat warning level Thursday. On Friday, 16 cities will be under alerts for high temperatures.

Italian authorities instructed people to avoid being outside during the hottest hours of the day and to stay away from areas with a lot of vehicle traffic to prevent ozone exposure.

In France, a red extreme weather warning advises extra precautions for children and older people and cautions that even those in good health are at risk of heat stroke.

Most of the rest of France remained on the next-highest “orange” alert. In Paris and other big cities, including Marseille, authorities banned older cars since high heat exacerbates air pollution.

Amid the blistering weather in Europe, hundreds of firefighters struggled to contain a wildfire in northeastern Spain that forced the evacuation of 53 residents.

Firefighters said temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius (86 F), low humidity and high winds fanned the flames.

Miquel Buch, the regional interior minister, said authorities suspect the Catalonia region’s worst fire in two decades started when the heat caused improperly stored chicken manure to combust at a farm.

In the Czech Republic, where a new June temperature record was set this week, were set this week, gorillas and polar bears at Prague’s zoo kept cool by eating their own version of sorbet.

Zookeepers have presented the animals with big blocks of frozen water in a form that suits them, and with ingredients to suit their tastes.

The gorillas had two blocks with a mixture of fruits inside, including pieces of orange, apple, pear, kiwi, carrot, pineapple and mango, hanging from ropes in their outdoor enclosure.

The zoo’s eight Western lowland gorillas stuck to a clear hierarchy. Richard, the dominant male, had a chunk of ice for him own. The other seven have to share one among them all.

The three polar bears get an icy block each. Fish is the main ingredient. </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/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.
Amid a continental heat wave, France records its highest ever temperature of 45.9 °C (114.6 °F) in Gallargues-le-Montueux.