Europe is in the grip of heat wave and there is no hope of relief

Here’s a brief summary of the latest events from Monday as Europe is hit by a heat wave:

• Europe is currently under a high pressure system known as a ‘heat dome’, which is retaining warm air
• Parts of Germany saw temperatures as high as 40 °C (104 °F)
• In France, two children died in a car in the southern town of Carpentras, where temperatures were expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius.
• French forecasters have warned that this year’s extreme temperatures could be as severe as the 2003 heat wave, which killed 15,000 people in France
• Britain’s top meteorological authority issued the highest heat level for parts of central and southern England for Wednesday and Thursday
• An orange weather alert has been issued due to high temperatures in parts of northern Portugal

Europeans have been suffering from a scorching “heat dome” this week, with parts of the continent not expected to get relief until next Monday.

Follow along with DW this week to see how the heatwave is affecting people across Europe and society.

Many Europeans, especially in the northern part of the continent, do not have air conditioning in their homes, making heat waves even more unbearable and in some cases fatal.

Stay tuned for more details!