• A bird sits on a straw bale on a field in Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises. A heatwave struck large parts of Europe. AP
    A bird sits on a straw bale on a field in Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises. A heatwave struck large parts of Europe. AP
  • Boats sail past the crowded bathing area at Sorenga in Oslo at the Norwegian capital's inner harbor pool. Weather forecasters predict new temperature highs across western Europe hit by another heatwave setting new temperature records. AFP
    Boats sail past the crowded bathing area at Sorenga in Oslo at the Norwegian capital's inner harbor pool. Weather forecasters predict new temperature highs across western Europe hit by another heatwave setting new temperature records. AFP
  • Children cool down in the fountain at Spikersuppa in Oslo. AFP
    Children cool down in the fountain at Spikersuppa in Oslo. AFP
  • An aerial view showing people enjoying a sunny and hot day at a lake in Haltern am See, Germany. EPA
    An aerial view showing people enjoying a sunny and hot day at a lake in Haltern am See, Germany. EPA
  • An aerial view showing people enjoying a sunny and hot day at the public outdoor pool 'Grugabad' in Essen, Germany. EPA
    An aerial view showing people enjoying a sunny and hot day at the public outdoor pool 'Grugabad' in Essen, Germany. EPA
  • A boy enjoys a bath in the fountain at Toldbod Plads in Aalborg, Denmark, while the thermometer shows 30 degrees Celsius. EPA
    A boy enjoys a bath in the fountain at Toldbod Plads in Aalborg, Denmark, while the thermometer shows 30 degrees Celsius. EPA
  • Beachgoers relax by the sea in Brighton, southern England. AFP
    Beachgoers relax by the sea in Brighton, southern England. AFP
  • A man sits at the Louvre pyramid in Paris as a heat wave hits the French capital. AFP
    A man sits at the Louvre pyramid in Paris as a heat wave hits the French capital. AFP
  • People line up to jump off a diving tower on the shore of the lake Ammersee near the small Bavarian village of Utting, southern Germany. AFP
    People line up to jump off a diving tower on the shore of the lake Ammersee near the small Bavarian village of Utting, southern Germany. AFP
  • People cool off at floating pools set up on the Ourcq canal in Paris. AFP
    People cool off at floating pools set up on the Ourcq canal in Paris. AFP
  • A spectator uses a fan to keep cool on the second day of the Test match between England and Ireland at Lord's cricket ground in London. AP
    A spectator uses a fan to keep cool on the second day of the Test match between England and Ireland at Lord's cricket ground in London. AP
  • A boy cools off under a public water spray on the bank of the Seine river in Paris. AFP
    A boy cools off under a public water spray on the bank of the Seine river in Paris. AFP
  • Aerial view taken shows bathers on and around a pontoon floating on the Altwarmbuechener See lake in Hanover, northern Germany,. AFP
    Aerial view taken shows bathers on and around a pontoon floating on the Altwarmbuechener See lake in Hanover, northern Germany,. AFP
  • Beach-goers enjoy the sunshine by the sea in Camber Sands, southern England, during a heatwave in Britain. AFP
    Beach-goers enjoy the sunshine by the sea in Camber Sands, southern England, during a heatwave in Britain. AFP
  • A mother and child cool off by walking through a park fountain in Antwerp, Belgium. AP
    A mother and child cool off by walking through a park fountain in Antwerp, Belgium. AP
  • People cool off at the Trocadero Fountains next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. AFP
    People cool off at the Trocadero Fountains next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. AFP
  • A teenager jumps into Alte Donau, an abandoned meander of river Danube during a heat wave in Vienna, Austria. REUTERS
    A teenager jumps into Alte Donau, an abandoned meander of river Danube during a heat wave in Vienna, Austria. REUTERS
  • A municipal worker hoses down a street in Madrid, Spain. AP
    A municipal worker hoses down a street in Madrid, Spain. AP
  • People are silhouetted against the setting sun at "El Mirador de la Alemana" as the summer's second heatwave hits Spain, in Malaga. Reuters
    People are silhouetted against the setting sun at "El Mirador de la Alemana" as the summer's second heatwave hits Spain, in Malaga. Reuters

Europe

Europe gripped by record-breaking heatwave - in pictures

Countries in northern Europe register record high temperatures

The National

July 25, 2019

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Record temperatures are being set across Europe, including France and Germany, as the continent swelters on Thursday in what is its second heat wave this summer.

Meteorologists warned this could become the new normal in many parts of the world. But temperate Europe — where air conditioning is rare — is not equipped for the temperatures frying the region this week.

So tourists frolicked in fountains to seek relief, and authorities and volunteers fanned out to help the elderly, sick and homeless hit hardest by the heat.

Trains were cancelled in Britain and France, and French authorities urged travellers to stay home.

One by one, heat records were being broken across Europe.

On Thursday afternoon Paris hit 41.6 degrees Celsius, beating the previous record of 40.4°C set in 1947.

Authorities said the temperature was still rising, as a result of hot, dry air coming from northern Africa that's trapped between cold stormy systems.

The German Weather Service confirmed 40.9°C in Lingen, West Germany, after 40.5°C was reached in Geilenkirchen, near Moenchengladbach, on Wednesday.

The Netherlands and Belgium also reported new record highs and Britain is expected to do so later.

Temperatures soared across Europe. The National
Temperatures soared across Europe. The National
Europe