On Tuesday, the UK recorded its highest ever temperature of over 40°C (102°F). The previous record was 38.7°C (101.6°F), from 2019.
Monday night was also the hottest night recorded in the UK, with a minimum temperature of 25.8°C (78.4°F).
"This unprecedented red warning for extreme heat is a wake-up call about the climate emergency. Even as a climate scientist who studies this stuff, this is scary. This feels real."
- Prof. Hannah Cloke, natural hazards researcher at the University of Reading
The current heat wave is due to hot air heading north from Africa, setting new local heat records and sparked wildfires across France and Spain.
Spain has had 510 heat-related deaths and 659 heat-related deaths in Portugal, according to the Carlos III Institute.
In Gironde, France, at least 16,000 people were evacuated due to major wildfires that had consumed more than 32,000 acres of land.
