France has recorded its hottest ever night and day as a severe heat wave intensifies across western Europe, causing widespread disruptions to schools, transport, and tourist sites.
A high-pressure heat dome has been reinforced by atmospheric shifts linked to a developing El Niño, with France issuing red heat alerts for a record 72 departments.
The heat wave has already been blamed for dozens of deaths and is expected to ease this weekend in the UK and France, but unusually warm temperatures are likely to linger across Europe until July.
Temperatures in Pissos, southwest France, reached 44.3C (112F), while the average daily temperature across the country hit an all-time high of 29.8C on Tuesday.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves on the world's fastest-warming continent, straining health, transport, and power systems.
