Bethany Bell
Reporting from Germany

Image source, Getty Images

In Germany, people are bracing for record-breaking June temperatures on Friday, when it could get as hot as 40C (104F) in the west and south-west of the country.

After several people drowned in Germany over the weekend, the German Life Saving Association (DLRG) has been urging people not to underestimate the dangers of swimming.

The Conservation Association for German Forests has warned that, with the heatwave continuing across the country, the risk of forest fires is rising dramatically. It said: “Lighting any kind of fire in the forest or at the edge of the forest is only permitted at designated fire pits.”

Postal workers from Deutsche Post have been advised to wear long-sleeved shirts and caps.

The DHL Group say they could also order Bermuda shorts from their corporate clothing catalogue. They’ve also been told to apply sunscreen, drink plenty of water and stay in the shade as much as possible.

The DAK health insurance company has set up a hotline on how to deal with the heat.

Alex Emery
Your Voice reporter

Image source, UGC

Stephanie Reed, 39, from Chorley, says her epilepsy is made worse by hot weather.

“My epileptic seizure trigger is extreme heat. I’ve had seizures after a shower, on a hot airport tarmac waiting to board a plane, playing netball. Even out jogging in November," she explains.

"Ironically I find it manageable abroad because there’s air conditioning and cold pools."

The former teacher used to work in a school in Hackney and would have to take lessons outside if the temperature rose above 25C (77F).

"Schools need to do whatever they can to keep children safe. This week is going to be a challenge, even in Lancashire," Stephanie says.

She now runs an eco-shop in Chorley town centre, but fears she may have to close on Thursday due to the extreme heat.

Hayley Clarke
Education reporter

Image source, Getty Images/SolStock

We’re seeing lots of questions on social media around the rules for schools in this hot weather.

The Department for Education (DfE) directed us to their blog, external, which contains guidance for schools.

Red alerts indicate significant health risks, so schools should manage heat for all pupils and staff, it says.

The DfE “don’t normally advise schools to close”, because of the importance of attendance.

Instead, school leaders should make sure they take “any steps necessary” to make sure children are safe and comfortable.

This advice includes:

• Relaxing uniform rules
• Wearing loose clothing and sunhats with wide brims
• When outdoors, encourage children to stay in the shade
• Use sunscreen with high SPF
• No vigorous physical activity
• Ventilate: open classroom doors and windows
• Close the windows when the outdoor air becomes warmer than the air indoors
• Hydration: provide and encourage children to drink more water than usual

Teachers and school staff should also look out for signs of heat stress, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers / Peter Barrett

There were 29,000 flashes of lightning last night and early this morning across southern England, the Met Office has confirmed.

This includes lightning that goes from cloud-to-cloud as well as the more "striking" cloud-to-ground fork lightning.

This number of lightning strikes isn’t particularly uncommon for storms developing after a hot and humid day, but the frequency and intensity of the lightning would have been spectacular.

While thunderstorms were forecast to track east across southern England last night, there is always going to be some uncertainty about the exact location of where, and how intense, they might be.

The Prime Minister of France, Sébastien Lecornu, says 40 people have drowned in France since the start of the heatwave last Thursday.

"These are mainly young people," he said at a crisis meeting for ministers.

He added that "they are the first victims of the crisis we are facing".

Chris Bockman
Reporting from Cap Ferret in south-west France

The Bordeaux region has seen the hottest temperatures across France over the past two days and it's likely to continue for at least two more.

Last night Cap Ferret, an upmarket beach resort 37.2 miles (60km) from the city, recorded temperatures of around 30C (86F) at midnight. I haven't seen anything like that except in Dubai.

The sun is so intense and with so little wind - holiday makers are scarce on the beaches, deserting bars and restaurants for their hotels and holiday homes.

Another deterrent is thousands of large jellyfish washing ashore.

Local authorities told me the unusually warm water has brought them into the Baie d'Arcachon, though they assured me they were not dangerous.

Of course, it gets very hot in south-west France every summer but rarely so early in the season and each wave of extreme heat seems to last longer.

What’s worrying is that it could get far worse in July and August.

Image source, EPA

Last night was the hottest night recorded in France since measurements began in 1947, according to France's official weather forecaster.

Météo-France recorded a provisional night-time temperature, averaged across 30 stations, of 21.6C (70.9F) from Monday into Tuesday.

The previous record was 21.4C, recorded in July 2019, reports France's Le Monde newspaper.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

Temperatures are now starting to rise quickly across the UK, particularly in Wales and southern England where they are now in the mid to high 20s.

The highest temperature at 10:00 BST is 27.7C (81.9F) in Whitchurch, Pembrokeshire.

Heat will continue to build into this afternoon with a maximum of around 36C expected around Greater London.

This would exceed the current highest June temperature of 35.6C - so we’ll keep you updated on if that happens.

You may have noticed it feeling more humid today and that will be a noticeable feature of this heatwave. Higher humidity makes it feel hotter because our body can’t sweat and cool itself down as much.

This could be a cool summer in the UK's futurepublished at 10:31 BST 23 June

10:31 BST 23 June

Justin Rowlatt
Climate editor

What is striking meteorologists is not just how hot it may get - but how early in the summer it is happening.

Temperatures close to Britain’s all-time high are being threatened in June. That is why scientists say this is much more than a story about a few uncomfortable days.

At a media event yesterday, the Met Office looked back at the famous 1976 heatwave - the one that set the June record - and asked a simple question: what would a similarly severe UK heatwave look like in 2056?

The answer was stark.

Temperatures could peak at 45C (113F) in England, 41C in Wales, 38C in Scotland and 30C in Northern Ireland.

Remember, that is not a forecast for Asia or Africa. It is the Met Office’s best guess for the UK’s climate in just 30 years’ time.

Image source, Met Office

Hugh Schofield
Reporting from Paris

About 20 people have drowned in France since the start of the weekend - a spike directly attributable to the heatwave.

According to sports minister Marina Ferrari, too many people are seeking to cool off in unmonitored rivers and canals without appreciating the risks.

Just a short distance from where I live, a 13 year-old girl drowned in the River Seine on Sunday evening.

She had gone with her family to Fontaine-le-Port, where locals regularly take a dip. But she did not know how to swim.

Nearby, in the heatwave in May, a four-year-old girl died in similar circumstances at the outdoor sports centre of Bois-le-Roi.

The southern Paris suburbs are densely populated, and through them runs a river which in this testing heat is proving a fatal temptation.

Sarah Keith-Lucas & Simon King
BBC Weather

Image source, Getty Images

The current heatwave comes 50 years after perhaps the most memorable one the UK has experienced.

There were an incredible 15 consecutive days, from 23 June to 7 July 1976, where somewhere in the UK recorded a temperature of 32.2C (90F) or higher.

Meanwhile, London Heathrow notched up 16 consecutive days of 30C (86F) or more at about the same time.

The peak of the two-month-long heatwave in 1976 was 35.9C, while the UK is expected to reach several degrees hotter over the next few days - at 39 or even 40C.

Humidity will also be higher, making it feel particularly uncomfortable.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Antonia Matthews
BBC Wales

Image source, Getty Images

The heatwave has already led to disruption in Wales, with one of the oldest crossings between Wales and England completely closing, as well as some public services.

Chepstow's Old Wye Bridge, which closed to vehicles in October due to structural issues, will also shut to pedestrians and cyclists from 11:00 BST due to the structure being sensitive to changes in temperature above 30C (86C).

There is also disruption on the Transport for Wales network, while concert organisers at an event in Cardiff are increasing the number of free water stations and welfare facilities on site.

Waste and recycling crews will be starting their rounds earlier than usual in several counties and Newport council has decided to close the city’s museum, art gallery and central library until Friday.

Image source, Thomas Frampton-Harris

Footage sent in to the BBC shows flooded streets in Glastonbury, Somerset, on Tuesday morning following thunderstorms in the area last night.

Hundreds of homes in Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Bristol were also briefly without power on Monday evening due to the weather, according to the National Grid.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service says a lightning strike was believed to be the cause of a house fire in Emersons Green, Bristol, on Monday evening - with no injuries reported.

Sophia Herod
BBC Weather presenter

Image source, Weather Watchers Leigh

Thunderstorms bellowed across southern and eastern parts of England last night, bringing intense and heavy rainfall. In fact some areas saw nearly an inch of rain last night.

This isn’t unusual after a period of warm weather. However, thunderstorms are actually more likely after hot and humid conditions.

Thunderstorms form when warm air is underneath much colder air, making the atmosphere unstable and allowing for tall cumulonimbus clouds to form.

The hot weather continues and the humidity will be increasing today, so this may not be the end of the stormy weather.

Bethany Bell
Reporting from Germany

Police in Germany say three men who went missing in the Rhine river in Hesse in Germany have been found dead.

The men aged 23, 27 and 50 had been reported missing on Saturday evening. The 50-year-old had gone swimming. The other two were non-swimmers.

Police investigating the cause of the deaths don’t believe they were suspicious.

Several people drowned in Germany over the weekend.

As the heatwave looks set to continue, the German Life Saving Association (DLRG) is urging people not to underestimate the dangers of swimming.

On Friday, temperatures could reach 40C (104F) in some parts of the west and south-west of Germany. If so, the previous heat record for the month of June will be broken.

Image source, Getty Images

Anna Holligan
Reporting from the Netherlands

Image source, EPA

Amsterdam is rolling out a network of “cool‑down” spots across the city, offering residents a place to escape the worst of the heat.

These spaces, in libraries, city farms, theatres, churches, community centres and even supermarkets, provide seating, drinking water and toilets, and many are open to pets as well.

In the pilot phase, most of the 12 cool‑down spots will be concentrated in Nieuw‑West, the district that city modelling identified as facing the greatest heat risk.

It is a response to the growing number of tropical days, with temperatures above 30 degrees, as the climate warms.

Officials weighed up how much shade is available, how many vulnerable residents such as young children and older people live there, and how quickly homes heat up.

Why this heatwave might feel particularly badpublished at 08:58 BST 23 June

08:58 BST 23 June

Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent

Image source, Richard Baker/Getty Images

This week’s temperatures are going be even more of a challenge compared to other heatwaves.

That's because it will be much harder to sweat away the heat due to the high level of moisture in the air, the Met Office says.

While the mercury may rise as high as 38C (100F) by Thursday, forecasters will also be focusing on what’s called the Dew Point, a measure of how humid the air is, and how much water it’s holding.

The Met Office says this Dew Point figure could rise to 22C – far higher than the single figures recorded during the record-breaking heatwave of July 2022.

We can only cool ourselves when our sweat evaporates into the air. If it’s already full of moisture, evaporation slows and it’s far harder to shed heat in this way.

So, even though the temperatures may not be as high as they were in previous hot spells, it could actually feel far worse.

Davide Ghiglione
Reporting from Rome

Image source, Getty Images

Italy's heatwave is intensifying, with the number of cities under the highest health alert, a "red" warning, rising to 15 on Tuesday, up from 12 the day before.

Major cities including Rome, Milan, Florence, Turin and Venice are now under this top-level alert, which signals conditions that can pose health risks even to healthy adults, not just the elderly or chronically ill.

The number of cities under red alert is expected to rise further on Wednesday.

The surge in extreme heat comes just as the government revived emergency labour protections through its new infrastructure decree.

Companies that halt or reduce operations because of dangerous heat waves can now access state-backed furlough support, shielding workers most exposed to the sun, including farm and construction workers, from having to work through the hottest hours.

Authorities say the heatwave is likely to continue through the end of June and possibly into early July.

Stormy weather has been pictured overnight in parts of England, from Somerset to Kent.

Here are some of the latest images sent in to BBC Weather Watchers.

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers / Stevie Streatham Hill

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers / Kurious Kate

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers / Gardener Patrick

Katy Austin
Transport correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Network Rail has urged passengers to only travel to, from or within areas covered by the extreme heat warnings on Wednesday and Thursday only if "absolutely necessary".

This is because extreme heat can have a big impact on the railways.

Steel rails are designed to cope with the temperatures expected of Britain’s climate, but heat above what they’re engineered for can cause rails to buckle.

Another example of what can be affected by heat is technology like signalling equipment, which you could crudely compare to the railway’s traffic lights and are absolutely crucial for trains to run safely.

Overhead power lines, especially older ones, can end up sagging, meaning trains may also have to travel more slowly to avoid damage.

Hot weather can also dry out the ground under the tracks, resulting in defects. If lots of rain then follows, there’s more risk of landslips.

Requiring trains to run slower is one way Network Rail manages some of the risks in very hot weather.