Records look set to tumble in Europe with a heat-dome driving temperatures up to unseen levels on parts of the Continent.
Holidaymakers have been urged to keep safe this summer when the mercury creeps up into the mid-forties in southwest and western Europe.
A rare, "very intense" heatwave has already started to cause things to boil over in Spain, where yellow and orange weather warnings are in place for most of the county.
The temperatures will continue to rise as the week goes on thanks to a cloud of hot air which is drifting up from Africa, Yahoo reports.
The hot air will cause what meteorologists call a heat-dome to settle above Spain and France.
The phenomenon has been likened to the lid on a large pot, whereby a combination of high pressure and hot air traps heat in below.
While the dome is in place the weather beneath is very stable and the heat dry, with little chance of rain breaking out.
The heatwave - which is made more intense due to the effects of climate change - is set to make this month the hottest June in over 20 years.
The extreme heat has already been intensifying across the Iberian peninsula this weekend, where Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and Algeria have experienced low 40s.
An orange weather warning was issued for Andalusia over the weekend when temperatures reached 44C.
The heat is expected to spread northeast into France in the coming days and rise in intensity.
Spain recorded its highest ever temperature last August, when the Andalucían town of Montoro reached 47.4C.
In 2019 the southern French village of Gallargues-le-Montueux was the site of the country's hottest temperature when thermometers hit 45.9C.
As difficult as it is to predict quite how hot temperatures will go this summer, the conditions this month seem primed to push the mercury towards these numbers.
Brits brave enough to grace the Continent over the coming weeks should be careful to protect themselves from potentially dangerous levels of heat.
Tourists are advised to stay in the shade as much as possible to avoid suffering heat exhaustion or heatstroke, and keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
Heat exhaustion - which is the precursor to heatstroke and is the body’s response to overheating - is often caused by a loss of water and salt.
It can lead to headaches, dizziness and nausea and turn into heat exhaustion if the body is not cooled down.
Those concerned about suffering in the hot weather should drink plenty of water, take cool baths or showers, wear light coloured clothes, sprinkle water over their skin, and avoid excessive alcohol consumption.
The weather in Spain has been getting hotter in recent years, due to climate change.
In 2020, the average temperature in the country was 1.7 degrees Celsius higher than the average in preindustrial times, between 1850 and 1900.
