28/06/2019 11:43
European heatwave: Temperature may pass highest on record in France
France may hit its highest-ever recorded temperature on Friday in a heatwave that has swept across Europe this week.
The current record is 44.1C (111.4F) - measured during a heatwave in 2003 which killed thousands of people.
In response, France's national weather service has issued an unprecedented red alert warning for four regions in the south.
Most of the country remains on orange alert, the second-highest level.
Swathes of the continent are experiencing extreme heat. Germany, France, Poland and the Czech Republic have all recorded their highest-ever June temperatures, and in Spain firefighters are battling Catalonia's worst wildfires in 20 years.