Temperatures at expected to reach a balmy 31C today in southern Britain, as Europe swelters in a 42C ‘heat dome’.
Monday will be even hotter, with highs of 34C in central and eastern England, forecasters say.
Meanwhile, ambulances have been stood on standby near tourist hotspots in Spain, Portugal, and France, while heatstroke pathways have been set up in some hospitals in Italy.
Spain‘s national weather agency, Aemet, has issued a special warning with sweltering highs of 42C set to hit southern parts of the country in the coming days.
Tourists at Vatican City sheltered from the heat under umbrellas and splashed their faces with cool water from a fountain as they baked in 37C heat.
Elsewhere, in Rome people were seen being tended to at a Red Cross emergency point where a cooling fan was blowing.
Peaks of 43C were expected in areas of southern Spain and Portugal, while nearly all of France is sweltering in heat expected to last for several days.
Parts of south-east England could hit 35C on Tuesday, forecaster Matthew Lenhert said, which would be hotter than Barbados.
ENGLAND — Sunbathers cover the beaches in Bournemouth on the south coast
SPAIN — Tourists cool off under a cloud of mist at the Plaza de la Reina during a heat wave in Valencia
A heat bomb has hit Europe with Spain’s national weather agency issuing a special warning
In Italy, 21 cities were on high alert for extreme heat, including Milan, Naples, Venice, Florence and Rome.
‘We were supposed to be visiting the Colosseum, but my mum nearly fainted,’ said British tourist Anna Becker, who had travelled to Rome from a ‘muggy, miserable’ Verona.
Hospital emergency departments across Italy have reported an uptick in heatstroke cases, according to Mario Guarino, vice president of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine.
‘We’ve seen around a 10 percent increase, mainly in cities that not only have very high temperatures but also a higher humidity rate. It is mainly elderly people, cancer patients or homeless people, presenting with dehydration, heat stroke, fatigue,’ he said.
In Venice, authorities offered free guided tours for people over 75s in air-conditioned museums and public buildings.
Bologna has set up seven ‘climate shelters’ with air conditioning and drinking water, Florence has called on doctors to flag up the lonely and vulnerable, Ancona is delivering dehumidifiers to the needy, and Rome has offered free access to city swimming pools for those over 70.
In Portugal, several areas in the southern half of the country, including the capital Lisbon, are under a red warning for heat until Monday night, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere.
GERMANY — A woman bathes in the sun next to a fountain at Munich’s Karlsplatz square
VATICAN CITY — People cool off with water from a fountain during a heatwave in Saint Peter’s Square
VATICAN CITY — A woman uses a fan to cool herself during the heat as Pope Leo XIV addesses the crowd
GERMANY — Children play in a fountain at Munich’s Karlsplatz square
VATICAN CITY — A woman takes shelter from the sun with an umbrella during a heatwave in Saint Peter’s Square
ROME — A woman is tended to during to sweltering heat at a Red Cross emergency point
PORTUGAL — A man walks under umbrella to protect himself from the sun by the Tagus River, Lisbon
Two-thirds of Portugal was on high alert today for extreme heat and forest fires, as was the Italian island of Sicily, where firefighters tackled 15 blazes Saturday.
In France, experts warned that the heat was also severely impacting biodiversity.
‘With this stifling heat, the temperature can exceed 40 degrees in some nests,’ said Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the League for the Protection of Birds.
‘We are taking in birds in difficulty everywhere; our seven care centres are saturated,’ he said.
It is also attracting invasive species, which are thriving in the more tropical climes.
Wimbledon is set for its hottest opening day on record on Monday and could even see the highest temperature ever recorded during the tournament.
The hottest ever Wimbledon day was on July 1 2015, when temperatures reached 35.7C.
The warmest opening day on record was on June 25 2001, when temperatures hit 29.3C.
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The intense heat is set to continue across Europe tomorrow with temperatures reaching 37C in France
Temperatures have reached 31C in London today, according to forecasters
The UK Health Security Agency has issued amber and yellow heat health alerts
Temperatures are set to be higher than 34C tomorrow. This is has only occurred three times in June since 1960
VATICAN CITY — People shelter under umbrellas in the heat as Pope Leo XIV addresses the crowd from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square
WIMBLEDON — Tennis fans have been braving the heat today as they sit in the queues in the hopes of getting tickets for tomorrow’s opening day at SW19
WIMBLEDON — People bring their camping gear as they queue in the baking heat for tomorrow’s opening day
WIMBLEDON — Wimbledon is set for its hottest opening day on record on Monday and could even see the highest temperature ever recorded during the tournament
EYENSFORD — People keep cool in the ford in River Darent, as an amber heat warning was issued
CAMBRIDGE — People punting along the River Cam, as the warm weather continues
CAMBRIDGE — People punting on the River Cam during the hot weather
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The hottest day of 2025 so far was recorded on June 21 in Charlwood, Surrey, when temperatures hit 33.2C.
Tropical nights are also in store for many, with temperatures overnight not dropping below 20C, Mr Lenhert said.
Fresher air is then expected to move in from the west in the middle of the week, bringing an end to the heatwave.
It comes as a second amber heat health alert in two weeks came into force on Friday.
The alert, which covers London, the East Midlands, South East, South West and East of England, will last until 6pm on Tuesday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also issued a yellow alert for Yorkshire and Humber and the West Midlands for the same time period, with the agency warning of significant impacts across health and social care services.
An amber alert was previously issued for all regions in England on June 19, the first time it had been used since September 2023.
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.
BOURNEMOUTH — People bask in the 31C heat in southern England today as they flocked to the town’s sandy beach
CUMBRIA — People cool off in the River Lune, in market town Kirkby Lonsdale
SPAIN — A tourist uses an umbrella to protect herself from the sun during a heatwave in Valencia
VATICAN CITY — People use a fountain to splash cooling water over their faces in St Peter’s Square
VATICAN CITY — People shielding under umbrellas queue to fill their water bottles from a fountain
PORTUGAL — A man sunbathes near the Tagus River in Lisbon as a heat bomb hits Europe
LONDON — Pigeons bathe in a fountain in Russell Square as temperatures continue to rise
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Thomas Goodall said: ‘London is already facing its second heatwave of the year and we know that people will be looking forward to getting outside to enjoy the wonderful weather.
‘But the high temperatures and low rainfall in recent months means the current risk of wildfires is severe.
‘So far this year, firefighters have responded to around 14 wildfires in the capital.
‘There have also been countless call outs to smaller fires involving grass, trees and in other outdoor spaces, as well as in people’s gardens.
‘During this latest heatwave, it is important everyone acts responsibly to prevent fires from occurring.
‘As the weather has been so dry, it only takes a few sparks to lead to a fire spreading rapidly.
‘In London, this is can be dangerous because so many of our green spaces lie close to homes and other properties.’
There will be a ‘marked difference’ in north-western parts of the UK however, with cloud and heavy rain in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland, where temperatures will stay in the mid to high teens, Mr Lenhert said.
The hottest ever July 1 on record was in 2015, when the temperature hit 36.7C.