France is preparing for another day of exceptionally hot weather, with more than half the country remaining under a red heat alert on Wednesday.
Tens of thousands of homes have been left without power in western Brittany, while a major wildfire was brought under control overnight in the Maine-et-Loire region.
It comes after the country experienced its hottest June day since records began on Tuesday, with an average temperature of 29.8C (85.54F) recorded.
The heatwave is expected to spread to other parts of western Europe on Wednesday, with an orange alert for dangerous weather in place for parts of the Netherlands.
Temperatures are expected to peak in the Netherlands and Belgium on Friday, while Germany is expected to see the mercury rise to 40C (104F) over the weekend.
The heatwave is also expected to spread to eastern Europe over the next few days, with severe heat warnings issued for countries including Poland, Croatia and Hungary for later in the week.
So far, France, Spain and Italy have been hardest hit by the heatwave.
Forty people have drowned in heatwave-related incidents in France since last Thursday, according to the prime minister.
On Wednesday, red alerts in France were extended to include four more regions, forecaster Météo France said, bringing the total number to 58. Thirty-one more regions are under an orange alert.
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The top temperatures forecast across Europe on Wednesday – with France expected to see the hottest conditions
As of 05:00 local time, La Rochelle in the southwest had already recorded a temperature of 29C, the forecaster said, with a high of 43C possible later in the day in the region.
Highs of 39 to 40C are forecast across much of the country’s west, from Paris to Brittany, and are expected to remain the same until the weekend.
Temperatures peaked on Tuesday, with a high of 44.3C recorded in parts of Landes, in the southwest.
Some relief from the heat is expected from Friday, with temperatures forecast to gradually drop over the weekend. This change will come with thunderstorms, bringing a risk of flash flooding and large hail.
Speaking to French radio, labour minister Jean-Pierre Farandou said “we’re in the process of finding out we’ve become a hot country”.
The heat caused the first major power outage in France, with around 68,000 homes left without power in the north-western Finistère region on Tuesday evening due to a problem with a transformer, authorities said. Power is not expected to be restored for everyone until the end of Wednesday at the earliest.
Elsewhere in the Maine and Loire region, more than 150 firefighters were deployed to fight a major fire on Tuesday in the Breignon forest in Saint-Macaire-du-Bois. It was brought under control overnight, authorities said.
