Europe heatwave - live: Met Office records hottest day of the year in UK and France declares first ever 'red alert' as temperatures continue to soar

Follow live updates as mercury reaches 34C in England

UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

Britain has recorded its hottest day of the year so far, as the country basks in the heatwave brought by an “enormous” bubble of warm air from the Sahara.

A temperature of 34C was recorded at Heathrow on Saturday afternoon – soaring past the 33C highs experienced in the Caribbean island of Jamaica today.

Temperatures were set to climb further this afternoon, with the south east expected to see the most intense conditions and highs of 35C forecast for London.

The Saharan winds that have been spreading scorching temperatures across the continent don't look set to give Europe a break today.

Temperatures could reach new record-highs again in France, Belgium and Switzerland. In Spain, officials are warning that more ‘significant’ wildfires could break out as the mercury reaches 45C.

See how the heatwave unfolded below

Key Points

• Britain hotter than Jamaica on warmest day the year, with mercury reaching 34C

• Spain is so hot a heap of manure self-combusted, triggering a massive wildfire

• France records hottest temperature in history as ‘red alert’ declared for first time

[29 June 2019 11:39 · Kristin Hugo]

The Met Office says UV levels will be very high across England and South Wales.– especially in the early afternoon.

Wear a top, a hat and carry sunscreen!

[29 June 2019 11:52 · Kristin Hugo]

It won’t be sunny and scorching hot everywhere… The Met Office says thunderstorms could develop in southeastern Scotland and northeastern England throughout the day.

[29 June 2019 12:13 · Kristin Hugo]

It’s now official. Today is the hottest day of the year so far after temperatures reached 30.8C in Charlwood.

[29 June 2019 12:28 · Kristin Hugo]

Britons unused to the scorching weather will need to take precautionary measures to ensure they don't suffer from heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

My colleague Sabrina Barr has put together a useful guide to what you need to know:

[29 June 2019 12:55 · Kristin Hugo]

Meanwhile, a wildfire that broke out on Tuesday in Catalonia is still ravaging the area, and authorities are saying it has become the most serious fire the region has seen in 20 years.

Catalan firefighters say the situation is “critical” and firefighters are currently “defending themselves” from the fire.

Miquel Buch, the Catalan interior minister, says 21 people involved in firefighting duties required medical assistance overnight.

“We are in the worst hours of the day,” the Catalan firefighters said on Twitter. “We are containing the fire. In the coming hours, firefighters will go from defending themselves to attacking the fire. The situation is still critical.”

Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control, but wind and sizzling temperatures could give the blaze fresh impetus. Spanish forecasting office AEMET says temperatures have risen to 41C again in Tarragona.

The cause of the wildfire is thought to be a pile of manure that spontaneously combusted after temperatures soared to 44C.

[29 June 2019 13:19 · Kristin Hugo]

In France's southwestern Gard region, where France's highest temperature on record was registered yesterday at 45.9C, scores of fires burned some 600 hectares of land and destroyed several houses and vehicles.

More than 700 firefighters and 10 aircraft were mobilised to tackle the fires in the Gard, some of which caused sections of motorways to be temporarily closed. Several firefighters were hurt but no serious injuries were reported.

French media said a man had been arrested for deliberately starting fires in one Gard village.

Temperatures are still above 40C in southwestern France, and forecasters say the heatwave won't end before tomorrow evening.

Paris is experiencing the hottest day of the heatwave today – it's 36C there.

[29 June 2019 13:43 · Kristin Hugo]

Here's a quick recap of all new records and facts about this heatwave:

• France: Temperatures set a new record high in France yesterday, smashing the previous one. it was 45.9C in Gallargues-le-Montueux, but at least 12 French towns broke the previous record-high of 44.1C. Paris banned driving older cars to curb heatwave-related pollution. 

• Spain: Today, unusually high temperatures above 43 degrees were forecast across Spain – for the fourth day in a row. A pile of manure caught fire and developed into Catalonia's most severe fire in the last 20 years.

• Germany: June 2019 was the hottest and sunniest month since records began. Some 51 observing stations recorded new June temperature records, including the highest-ever: 38.6 °C on 26 June.

• Austria had its warmest June on record, 4.5C above the long-term average for the month.

• Italy: The heat killed at least three people, while hospitals in Milan saw a 35 per cent rise in emergency visits due to heat-related conditions.

• Switzerland: More than half of Switzerland’s observing stations measured new June temperature records on Wednesday.

The World Meteorological Organisation say this prolonged, stifling heatwave is “absolutely consistent” with extremes linked to the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.

[29 June 2019 14:41 · Kristin Hugo]

Temperatures have hit 33C in Heathrow and Northolt, the Met Office says.

[29 June 2019 14:56 · Kristin Hugo]

The 33C recorded earlier today sets a new record temperature for 2019, and the mercury is expected to keep rising.

Readings of 33C were taken at Heathrow and elsewhere in west London.

The Met Office said temperatures are expected to rise as high as 34C – falling just short of the 35.6C June record set in 1976.

[29 June 2019 15:05 · Kristin Hugo]

Meanwhile, the beach is packed in Bournemouth…

Some 75,000 people are expected throughout the day. Roads are gridlocked into the Dorset town and there are huge queues for ice cream stands and inflatable toys.