Great heat has gripped northwestern Europe today, an additional amount of water has been delivered to supply the cyclists at the Tour de France, the Netherlands has issued an "orange warning", and record temperatures are expected in Germany and Great Britain.
With 41,2 degrees Celsius, a new heat record was achieved this afternoon in Bordeaux, France.
That, according to France Presse, is probably just the beginning because temperatures are forecast to continue rising in the coming days across Western Europe, before they start to drop on Friday.
In France, almost all areas are under a heat warning, except for the southeast and extreme northwest of the country.
In Paris, the heat plan is already being implemented: public buildings have been opened for cooling, temporary fountains and water sprinklers have been installed. A series of measures is planned especially for the elderly who were the big victims of the heat in the summer of 2003 when 15.200 people died in France.
Other European cities have taken similar measures. Vienna offered citizens and tourists an application called "City oases" to find "cooling zones", green areas or places for swimming, fountains and water on the map.
Cyclists on the Tour de France, who rode today at a temperature of 40 degrees, supplied themselves with water more often than usual - three half-liter canisters per hour.
The Netherlands is also under an "orange" warning, except for the northernmost islands. The Dutch government has introduced a series of regulations to be followed in hospitals and nursing homes.
In Germany, the mercury on the thermometer will reach 41 degrees Celsius in the Cologne area in the coming days, which will break the record of 40,3 degrees from 2015, the German Meteorological Agency stated.
In Great Britain, temperatures could be record not only for July, but historically the highest, said Paul Gundersen, from the Met Office meteorological service. A high of 37C is expected in south-east England on Thursday, beating the July record of 36,7C and approaching the all-time high of 38,5C in August 2003.
The so-called "toxic cocktail" of humid heat and pollen could be very dangerous for around 5,4 million people who suffer from asthma in the UK, the Asthma Association has warned.
That second heat in less than a month after the heat in late June is raising concerns that extreme drought could follow.
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