Khaberni - The temperatures in most European countries continued to record highs causing fatalities and disruptions to daily life, and placing a number of cities on the old continent under red alert.
The German Meteorological Service has issued warnings of an intense heatwave, with temperatures reaching 40, indicating the possibility of breaking the current record high this coming Friday.
According to Deutsche Welle, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced that 40 people have drowned since June 18 amid a severe heatwave, and there have been fatalities due to excessive heat among children and the elderly.
Since Monday, the Golfech nuclear power station on the banks of the River Garonne in southwestern France has been shut down, and train journeys face delays or cancellations.
France has put its emergency services and military forces on alert to deal with wildfires, while about a third of France's territory is under a red heat warning, according to the national meteorological service, starting today, Sunday.
In Italy, the Ministry of Health issued a red alert for an intense heatwave in 15 cities, including Rome and Milan, with the number expected to rise to 16 cities by tomorrow.
The UK Meteorological Office has issued a red alert for "intense heat" on Wednesday and Thursday in parts of southern England, a rare occurrence in the country. It indicates that "it is likely that the current record for the highest recorded temperature in the UK in June will be broken, necessitating the closure of schools."
In Spain, a state of highest alert for the heatwave has been announced today in most areas, with some regions in Andalusia (south), the Basque Country (northwest), and Cantabria (north) under an extreme alert indicating "exceptional risk."
In Portugal, today is expected to be the hottest and most intense day, according to the meteorological service. The same applies to Belgium, which expects this week to be "the hottest ever" with an average temperature exceeding 27 degrees Celsius, according to David Dehenauw, head of forecasting at the IRM Meteorological Institute.
Local forecasts in the Netherlands suggest that temperatures could reach 37 degrees Celsius by the end of the week, with a yellow warning in effect across the country due to "stifling and bothersome heat."
In Switzerland, the heatwave is expected to continue until the end of next week, with a slight rise in temperatures starting today, reaching its peak in the second half of the week, according to the Swiss meteorological service.
A similar trend is expected in Austria, where the heatwave may continue throughout the week, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country, according to the national meteorological service.
