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
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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
Sales of barbecue food have soared, according to Tesco.
The supermarket predicts it will sell more than one million packs of sausages, 650,000 packs of burgers and 50,000 disposable barbecues over the weekend.
Another fire has broken out on agricultural land near Zaragoza, Spain, forcing the local government to shut down a road.
Photo by the Aragonese local government
Firefighters are trying to bring another fire under control near Toledo.
The changing wind, low humidity and sizzling heat accelerated the fire, which spread to the Community of Madrid, and has already burning over 2,000 hectares of land.
Catalan firefighters are also still involved the fire near Ribera d’Ebre, near Tarragona.
Spanish media report that the wildfires of the last few days have parched some 9.500 hectares of land in total.
If you come across a dog that’s been left alone in a car on a hot day, the RSPCA recommends taking action if you suspect that its health could be in danger.
The Met Office has issued a yellow severe warning for lightning for much of Scotland.
A yellow warning for thunderstorms remains active for northeastern England and southwestern Scotland.
Enjoy the heat while you can – the weather will be noticeably cooler tomorrow.
Forecasters say it will be dry and sunny for most of England and Wales tomorrow, but temperatures will drop to a fresher 25C.
It will be cloudier across northwestern parts of the UK with some rain or heavy showers over Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Temperatures rise to 34C in Heathrow and Northold, making today one of the hottest June days in 40 years.
The record for June is 35.6C, set in 1976.
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