Europe heatwave live: UK issues rare red heat warning as record-breaking temperatures in France bring power outages

From 13m agoA rare red heat warning has kicked it at 9am London (10am Europe) for large parts of England and Wales, just for the second time ever, with temperatures expected to get close to 40C in some parts of the country.People use umbrellas and shopping bags to shield themselves from the sun while waiting to cross Oxford Street as Britain experiences record temperatures disrupting schools and transport networks, in London, Britain. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/ReutersThe warning covers an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, and is due to last until 9pm on Thursday, PA news agency reported.

Meteorologist are expecting that during the peak of the heatwave, the temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C from July 2022.Gulp.

Stay safe everyone.Key events13m agoRare red heat warning kicks in the UK with temperatures expected to get near 40C3h agoUK June record to get 'absolutely smashed', BBC forecaster predicts3h agoUK train delays and disruptions3h agoPower outages in France4h agoOpening summarySpare a though all key workers who have no choice but have to work physically and outdoors in this weather.Here is a postal worker from Paris (33C at the moment, but expected to get to 39C later).

View image in fullscreenA postal worker drinks water during a delivery round in Paris, France. Photograph: Adil Benayache/SIPA/ShutterstockAnd a construction worker in London (28C at 9:15am, but going up to 35C later).View image in fullscreenA construction worker standing on scaffolding on a hot morning as the Met Office issue a red extreme heat warning in London and south England.

Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/ShutterstockThe French city of Bordeaux is one of those expected to be most severely hit by extreme temperatures today.It’s 33C there and it’s only 10am, and Météo France is expecting the temperatures of up to… 42C later today.

View image in fullscreenTourists and residents cool off at Miroir d’Eau in front of the Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux, France. Photograph: Le Gonidec Margot/ABACA/ShutterstockSo here is your weather forecast for today, with some of the key European cities:Paris 41C Bordeaux 39C Madrid 38C Frankfurt 37C Brussels 36C Rome 35C Bologna 35C London 34C Amsterdam 34C Zurich 32C Prague 32C Berlin 31C Barcelona 31CEssentially, if you are anywhere between Lisbon (24C) and Warsaw (27C), it will be super hot.Meteo France is showing that all of France is expected to go well above 30C this morning, with two-thirds of the country covered by a red weather alert.

It’s Jakub Krupa here, taking over from Taz Ali.With the heatwave dominating the headlines across Europe, we will run a special edition of our daily Europe Live blog today focused just on this issue.I will bring you all the latest here.

Good morning.View image in fullscreenA Frankfurt Zoo worker sprays alpacas with water during a severe heatwave in Germany. Photograph: Matías Basualdo/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockThe French environment minister, Monique Barbut, said the heatwave in France could continue until 14 July.

“Next week should see a relative pause,” she told the French radio channel France Inter.“But Météo-France tells us there is a strong likelihood that, from the following week onwards, we will see a return to extreme heat, which could last until 14 July.”View image in fullscreenPeople swim at Canal Saint-Martin to cool off during heatwave in Paris, France.

Photograph: Anadolu/Getty ImagesGrahame Madge, a Met Office spokesperson, said the agency is forecasting 39C as a headline maximum temperature on Thursday in the UK, most likely for somewhere in London or the south-east.“It is possible we could see temperatures higher than the 39C if the final values are at the upper end of our narrow range,” he said, according to the Press Association.“It is important to remember that the temperature value is only one element of this extreme heatwave story.

“The other major factor is the high humidity, which for many will make the intense heat even harder to endure.”The highest temperature logged on Tuesday was 34.6C in Wisley, Surrey.

View image in fullscreenA person covers her face from the sun at a park during a heatwave in London. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPALondon mayor Sadiq Khan has triggered a “high” air pollution alert for the capital on advice from forecasters at Imperial College, the third one this year.The heat has forced the army to cancel ceremonial operations in London and Windsor, to protect the “wellbeing” of its soldiers and horses.

View image in fullscreenA person uses an umbrella to shelter from the sun in London. Photograph: Toby Shepheard/AFP/Getty ImagesBBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said he expected the UK June temperature record to get “absolutely smashed”, telling the Today programme: “I think this afternoon we’re probably looking at highs reaching around 37C, maybe 38C, so by a big margin we are likely to set a new June temperature record.”View image in fullscreenThe sun rises on a