Western Europe faces higher temperatures on Tuesday as a severe heatwave moves north.
In France and the UK, extreme heat warnings were issued, while northern Spain recorded 43C (109F) on Monday. Wildfires have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes in France, Portugal, Spain and Greece.
Britain is expected to see its hottest day ever, and experts say parts of France face a “summer apocalypse”. The National Met Office noted many parts of France saw their hottest days, with the western city of Nantes recording 42C.
Recently, wildfires have forced more than 30,000 people to flee; emergency shelters have been set up for evacuees.
Gironde, a well-known tourist area in the southwest, has been particularly badly hit, with firefighters battling to contain the fire, destroying nearly 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of land since last Tuesday.
“The idea that comes into my head is, it’s a monster,” Jean-Luc Gleyze, the president of the Gironde region, said of the fires.
“It’s a monster like an octopus, and it’s growing and growing and growing in the front, in the back, on both sides. Because of the temperature, the wind, and the lack of water in the air… it’s a monster, and it’s tough to fight against.”
Temperatures around 40C on Monday are predicted to drop. Still, as long as dry conditions and variable winds persist, immediate relief may not come, reports BBC’s Lucy Williamson in the Gironde region.
Britain had one of its warmest days on Monday, with the highest recorded being 38.1C in Suffolk, eastern England. Forecasters say the maximum temperature will likely remain 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the highest ever recorded in the country.
There were severe travel disruptions, with trains cancelled and flights suspended at London’s Luton Airport when part of the runway collapsed in the sweltering heat.
In Spain, at least 20 fires are burning out of control. A passenger filmed when the train he was travelling on came to a temporary halt – as fires raged on both sides of the carriage near the northern border with Portugal.
Heatwaves have become more frequent, intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments worldwide make steep emissions cuts.
