Temperatures were set to surpass 30C for nearly three out of five European residents (excluding Turkey) – around 340 million people – according to an analysis based on German weather service forecasts and 2025 population projections from the Joint Research Centre.
In London, temperatures hit 38.1C at Kew Gardens, making it the fifth-hottest day on record for the UK, according to the official weather agency, the Met Office.
A spokesman for the National Health Service (NHS) said the heat was hitting hospital patients hard, and a significant increase in the number of heat-stroke cases had put extra strain on hospital services.
In France, weather service France Meteo recorded 38C in Paris and much of the country has been put on heatwave alert.
In Italy, similar temperatures were forecast to affect 29 million inhabitants, particularly along the west coast, in the Po Valley, the “heel” of the boot, and on the islands.
Large parts of the Iberian Peninsula were also likely to be affected, with 25 million people impacted in Spain.
Spain’s Aemet weather agency recorded temperatures as high as 37C in the centre of the country Thursday.
In the UK, temperatures also hit 36C or higher in a total of 40 locations across central and southern England.
The country is on track to record its hottest ever summer, the Met Office said on Tuesday.
– AFP