Europe is braced for its hottest day ever as the continent suffers through a brutal 45C heatwave that has claimed multiple lives.
In France, a weather alert has been raised from orange to red as experts predict temperatures could surpass the 44.1C record set in 2003.
"For us the worst is still to come," said Jerome Saloman, head of national public health.
Four drownings have been recorded in France since the start of the week directly linked to the heatwave as people try to cool themselves in lakes and rivers.
School outings and outdoor sport and other festive activities are suspended or postponed due to the red alerts.
Joggers and other sport lovers have been urged to curb their activities.
Officials in Paris have installed hundreds of extra water fountains in a bid to prevent a repeat of 2003 tragedy which resulted in hundreds of casualties.
The French capital has also been forced to ban 60% of all the city's cars from the roads in a bid to curb extreme pollution.
"This episode of heatwave is unprecedented in France. It is exceptional in its intensity,'' Health Minister Agnes Buzyn told a news conference.
Three swimmers have died on beaches in southern France after they reportedly .
A 70-year-old man reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest in calm water, while a 62-year-old woman and another man, aged 75, died in similar circumstances, according to French news outlet LCI .
The sweltering conditions are being blamed on a .
This included the highest temperature ever recorded during the month of June in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, massive forest fire is spreading through Catalonia, northern Spain, after manure self-ignited and triggered a 10,000-acre wildfire.
Hundreds of firefighter attempted to control the conflagration as helicopters dumped water on the fires which raged some 80km (50 miles) inland from the coastal town of Tarragona.
There were no reports of casualties, but the regional government said some 45 people had been evacuated from farmhouses in the area.
The wildfires are among the worst Catalonia has seen in 20 years.
A 17-year-old died in the early hours of this morning in hospital in the southern city of Cordoba, Spain, after suffering heat exhaustion while he worked in the countryside.
Officials said he collapsed after feeling dizzy and jumping into the swimming pool at the property where he was working.
The unnamed teenager, who was from the village of Castro del Rio in Cordoba province which is famed for its olive oil and furniture made from olive oil, died at 1.25am this morning at Cordoba’s Reina Sofia Hospital.
The death of an 80-year-old man in Valladolid, northern Spain, has also been blamed on the heat.
Police sources said they believed he had been wearing too many clothes for the 37C (98.6 Fahrenheit) temperature at the time.
A 50-year-old who was working in the countryside has also been hospitalised in Murcia in south-east Spain after falling ill.
He was taken to hospital from a health centre. His condition has been described as serious and he is in intensive care.
There was at least relief for northern Germany on Thursday as temperatures slid to more normal levels for June.
In Berlin it was 21 degrees Celsius, down from around 37 on Wednesday.
