A serious heat wave has been experienced by some of the countries within Europe, where temperatures are expected to hit over 40°C in parts of France and very high in other parts of the continent.

In France, there are 49 departments in the mainland that have been placed in the highest heat warning level. Hundreds of schools have either closed or limited their opening time because of the rising temperatures. In addition, the government has warned people not to swim in unguarded rivers and lakes following the death of 13 people over the weekend, as temperatures are very high.

Temperatures are predicted to be 43°C in Bordeaux and about 39°C in Paris. Health officials have warned old and young people, as well as those with health problems, not to stay long in the sun.

There have been warnings about the very high temperatures in the United Kingdom from the Met Office. The warning comes after predictions of temperatures going as high as 38°C to 40°C in parts of central and southern England, including London and Birmingham.

Transport systems have also been affected by the high temperatures. There have been cancellations of train journeys in France and Belgium.

The Spanish weather agency, Aemet, stated that the temperature could rise up to 44° in some places. Moreover, the agency added that the temperature was 5°-10° warmer than those registered during this time in the past. Some regions also witnessed unusual warmth during nighttime.

In Portugal, the meteorological service noted that above-normal temperatures prevailed in many parts of the country, with some inland regions close to breaking June records.

According to experts, an increasing trend towards heat waves is related to the rising temperature worldwide. Akshay Deoras from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading stated that the heat events in recent decades have become more severe due to climate change.

According to Meteo-France, out of 51 heat waves recorded in France since 1947, 34 events took place after 2000. Of which, 26 have happened since 2011.

The present heatwave came after another wave of abnormally high temperatures that hit parts of Europe in May. Weather agencies expect that hot days will continue throughout this week as countries are still under the heat wave warning.