Europe heatwave live: UK breaks temperature record for June as parts of France hit 40C – as it happened

The UK’s record high for June has gone even higher, with parts of southern England reading 35.8C.

Less than an hour earlier, it was believed that Surrey had recorded the hottest June day ever with a temperature of 35.7C,. Wiggonholt in West Sussex has just beat it, PA reports.

The previous record high was 35.6C in Southampton, during the much-remembered 1976 heatwave.

UK broke the all-time June temperature weather, with today officially being the hottest June day since the 1967 heatwave. Surrey rang in the high first at 35.7C before Wiggonholt in West Sussex beat that 35.8C. The previous record high was 35.6C in Southampton.

Scotland also recorded its hottest day of the year. with temperatures reaching a high of 29.4C at Dyce in Aberdeen on Tuesday. Temperatures at Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire hit a high of 29C on the same day. reached 28.7C at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, Leuchars in Fife and Edinburgh.

Mainland Spain also recorded its highest daily average temperatures in June since at least 1950. with temperatures surpassing 39C in Bilbao today. Temperatures are expected to drop in most of the country though. with only parts of the Basque country in the north still marked red.

At least 94 million people in Europe were expected to experience temperatures above 35C today, most of them in France. Spain, AFP estimated. More than 350 million people were expected to experience temperatures above 30C.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that Europe’s heatwave is “putting people’s health are risk.” “ The data are clear: temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood. severity of extreme heat in the future. We cannot afford further delay. Leaders must prioritise investment in climate-resilient health systems, while also accelerating #ClimateAction and mitigating the drivers of the climate crisis.”

Belgium is on track for a record-breaking week of sweltering temperatures. with an orange-weather alert, the second-highest, in place for most of the country.

Meteorologist David Dehenauw announced a new record temperature for 24 June: 33.2 degrees was recorded at the national weather centre in Uccle. south Brussels, against 32.8 on the same day in 1976, when Europe was gripped by a long hot summer. Since this morning, an orange weather alert has been in place, triggering recommendations to drink regularly, spend the day in cool places. take care of vulnerable people.

Temperatures could hit 39 degrees by the end of the week. with forecasts that Thursday into Friday could produce Belgium’s hottest-ever night, with temperatures between 25-27 degrees.

Meteorologists are especially concerned about nighttime heat. Pascal Mormal of the Royal Metreological Institute told De Standaard: “The heat during the day might not be too bad if you manage to stay in the shade a bit,. at night you need to be able to cool down to recover. If the nights remain warm as well, the body will no longer find that rest.”

In response to the heat around one fifth of trains have been cancelled because the old rolling stock is not air conditioned. risks dangerous overheating. Some bus services have been cancelled, while some schools have cancelled classes or given children permission to leave early.

Belgium’s federal minister for climate. mobility Jean-Luc Crucke has called for better co-operation among Belgium’s devolved regions to help the country adapt to the “extreme weather conditions” caused by the changing climate. “The risks warned about yesterday have become the realities of today,” he wrote to regional leaders in a letter cited by local media.

The Lazio region where Rome is located approved an order for construction workers. delivery riders to not work between 12:30 pm and 4:00 pm due to the high temperatures – Rome was one of 16 cities in Italy under red alert on Wednesday, with highs of 35C.

But the order was widely flouted, with food delivery apps not notifying customers of any restrictions, AFP reports. Delivery drivers were still cycling around in the scorching heat, fetching and dropping off food orders.

“Yes it’s hot. you have to work or you don’t earn,” Omer Iliaz, 22, a rider from Pakistan, told AFP near Rome’s Termini train station. He said he typically works 10-hour shifts, earning 30-70 euros ($34-79) a day depending on the orders.

“If we work only four or five hours.. how is it possible to eat, dress and everything?”

Simona Abbate. a campaigner from Greenpeace, said her organisation had detected surface temperatures of up to 80C i n the heavily asphalted area around the station where AFP spoke to Iliaz.

“People in this area are working in very high temperatures – higher than what is considered a stress temperature” for the human body. Abbate said.

“The climate crisis is impacting above all the most vulnerable people in the population. The people who need to work, who have to work.”

The UK’s record high for June has gone even higher, with parts of southern England reading 35.8C.

Less than an hour earlier, it was believed that Surrey had recorded the hottest June day ever with a temperature of 35.7C,. Wiggonholt in West Sussex has just beat it, PA reports.

The previous record high was 35.6C in Southampton, during the much-remembered 1976 heatwave.

The UK has recorded the hottest June day ever with 35.7C in Surrey, BBC reported.

It beats the previous record of 35.6C in Southampton, during the much-remembered 1976 heatwave.

Daria. 28, has left Paris to stay with her partner’s parents for a few days to avoid the stifling heat in their top floor apartment.

“My partner, our cat and I live in a typical Parisian apartment right under the building’s roof,” she says. “Many roofs in the city are made of zinc, which is gorgeous, but unsustainable. Top-floor apartments are absolutely sizzling in this weather. ”

The main reason they have left Paris is for the sake of their cat, Kopeck, she says.

“Last year, during a shorter but intense heatwave, our cat overheated so much she had to put out her tongue. panted, sort of like a puppy, just to cool down. After she threw up for the first time ever. when the heatwave started, we decided staying in our apartment was not sustainable. ”

Kopeck is faring better now. “She likes to be in the sink. She asks for water by licking the tap.”

Daria worries about living in Paris in the long term as the temperature rises.

“We’re considering moving to another city. Paris is just not sustainable in the long run with this kind of weather. But moving means changing workplaces, which is complicated.”

She adds: “The only silver lining is that this sort of thing brings people together. There is a women-only Facebook group I am part of where we have started a list of air-conditioned places all around the city.”

A red extreme weather alert for France has been extended to 72 out of 96 French mainland departments tomorrow.

That’s three-quarters of the country, as per this map.

17 further areas will be on an orange alert.

Temperatures are “exceptionally high, both day and night, across the many departments under red alert,” Météo-France said.

Anna, a 50-year-old freelance translator living in Nantes, says the heatwave has forced her to abandon working from home. rent a co-working space in a local hotel with air conditioning.

“We’ve had temperatures over 40C for three days in a row, which never happened before,” she says. “It’s impossible to work where I live.

After struggling through an earlier heatwave in May. Anna drew up a list of air-conditioned co-working spaces she could use in future.

“It was too much. It was too difficult. Your brain is not working properly in that heat and I need my brain. That’s what I work with.”

Because there is no air conditioning on local public transport, Anna has been relying on taxis to travel between home, work. medical appointments.

“In three days I’ve spent around €250 on heat-related expenses,” she says. “If it were not for the heatwave, I wouldn’t have paid any of those costs.”

Anna, who has a chronic health condition. is due to spend a night in hospital this week, is particularly concerned about the lack of air conditioning in healthcare settings.

“There is no air conditioning in the university hospital apart from the operating theatres,” she says. “They can give you a fan, but at 40C outside it’s not going to cut it.”

Scotland has recorded its hottest day of the year. with temperatures reaching a high of 29.4C at Dyce in Aberdeen on Tuesday, PA reports.

Temperatures at Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire hit a high of 29C on the same day. reached 28.7C at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, Leuchars in Fife and Edinburgh.

National weather agency AEMET on Wednesday said that mainland Spain recorded its highest daily average temperatures in June since at least 1950. AFP reports.

Though temperatures are expected to drop in most of the country today. parts of the Basque country in the north will still be marked red. Temperatures were expected to hit 39.3C in Bilbao today.

A London School of Economics event on extreme heat has been cancelled – because of the extreme heat.

“We regret. this event has been cancelled due to the red extreme heat warning issued by the UK Met Office,” the event page reads.

Education correspondent

Hundreds of schools in England have closed or are closing early due to the heat this week,. the education secretary has urged parents to continue sending their children to school if it is open.

As the UK continued to swelter in heatwave conditions, Bridget Phillipson reminded parents about the cost of missed lessons. school absence, which the government has been grappling with since Covid.

She said: “I know hot weather can be a struggle. But my message to families is simple: if your child’s school is open, you should keep sending them into school.”

“ Teachers are relaxing uniform rules, keeping classrooms cool, making sure children are hydrated, teaching critical skills like water safety,. avoiding vigorous activity on the hottest days.

If your child has medical needs which mean you’re especially worried about the heat. talk to your school about what they can do.

Every day of absence. lesson missed has a cost – and that cost falls hardest on our most disadvantaged pupils and working class communities. So, pack a water bottle, put on the sunscreen, and trust that your child’s school has got this.”

As we go into later afternoon on the continent, Nantes and Bordeaux are now both in the 40s. Paris is reporting 39C, as is Toulouse.

Let us know how you are coping with the extreme weather and how is it affecting you.

In these extreme temperatures, please do remember to stay hydrated.

Here is Pope Leo leading by example. drinking a glass of water at the end of his weekly general audience.

Over in the UK. as the country faces breaking temperature records for June that have stood for 50 years since the summer of 1976, campaigners have called for the next Prime Minister to “stay the course” on climate policies, PA reported.

Greenpeace UK’s political campaigner Angharad Hopkinson said:

“The summer of ’76 may be seared into the nation’s memory,. it’s quickly being overtaken by even more terrifying heatwaves.

The only way off this hellish treadmill is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Our next prime minister needs to act on the evidence outside their window. the advice of their scientific advisors and stay the course on climate policies.”

A heatwave sweeping western Europe reduced France’s nuclear output on Wednesday as high temperatures ⁠across the country reduced access to water needed to cool reactors. Reuters reported.

Output was reduced by 4.1 gigawatts, or 7%, of total power demand at midday, data ⁠from French utility EDF ⁠showed.

The French city of Nantes is currently one of the – if not the – hottest places in Europe. reporting 41C.

It’s 39.3C in Bordeaux and Bilbao across the border in Spain, 37C in Toulouse, and 37C in Paris.

German city of Stuttgart is reporting above 33C, as is the British capital, London.