FRENCH FRIED
France has its hottest day EVER thanks to killer 45.8C Saharan heat bubble
FRANCE is enduring its hottest day EVER after the Sahara heat bubble pushed the mercury to a punishing 45.8C.
The country's weather alert was upgraded from orange to red as Meteo France declared temperatures had soared far higher than the 44.1C record set in 2003.
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France’s record temperature was recorded in the southern town of Gallargues-le-Montueux, in Gard.
The department's health officials said the area's red danger alert would remain until tomorrow morning.
They warned, too, that continuation of the fierce heat could cause "fatigue of the body", posing a danger to those vulnerable to such extreme temperatures, reported .
To help people cope with the unprecedented spike, the country has set up "cool places" to provide shelter from the intense heat.
The heatwave has already caused several deaths across Europe and has seen animals roasted alive as wildfires rage across Spain.
France's national weather service has issued an unprecedented red alert warning for four regions in the south, signalling temperatures of "dangerous intensity".
Most of the country remains on orange alert, the second-highest level as temperatures are expected to reach the highest recorded.
By midday today the mercury had already risen above 40 Celsius in several parts of southern France.
KILLER HEATWAVE
The previous record was 44.1C, which was measured during the 2003 heatwave that killed thousands of people, and is a temperature more typical in Saudi Arabia.
Swathes of the continent are experiencing extreme heat.
Germany, France, Poland and the Czech Republic have all recorded their highest-ever June temperatures, and in Spain firefighters are battling Catalonia's worst wildfires in 20 years.
Blazes have also broken out in Greece and Germany.
A 17-year-old boy died in hospital this morning after suffering heat exhaustion while working in the countryside in Cordoba in southern Spain.
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The death of an 80-year-old man in Valladolid, northern Spain, has also been blamed on the heat.
Two men, aged 70 and 75, and a 62-year-old woman died in the south of France from suspected cold shock after entering water to escape the blistering heat.
In Italy, two elderly men have died from heatstroke while seven cities have been put on red alert for extreme temperatures.
Meteorologists say hot air drawn in from northern Africa is responsible for the heatwave, caused by high pressure over central Europe and a storm stalling over the Atlantic.
In southern France, areas of Gard, Vaucluse, Herault and Bouches-du-Rhone are expected to see temperatures between 42C and 45C today.
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French authorities have stepped up restrictions on water use.
And hundreds of schools have been closed across the country.
In a TV interview, health minister Agnès Buzyn said she was concerned about the increase in calls to emergency service numbers - and called on members of the public to avoid "risky behaviour" like leaving children in cars or jogging outside in the middle of the day.
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