UK and France issue heat wave alerts as record-breaking temperatures persist across Europe

Residents in the U.K. and France face increased health risks and potential service disruptions as authorities implement emergency heat protocols during the fifth heat wave of the season.

• •Temperatures in southeastern France are forecast to approach 40 C (104 F) starting Tuesday.
• •The U.K. has placed most of England under an amber heat health alert beginning Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach 36 C (96.8 F).
• •The average sea surface temperature for July reached a record 20.96 C (69.73 F), surpassing the 2023 record of 20.89 C (69.60 F).
• •Western Europe set a new average temperature record for the June-July period at 21.62 C (70.92 F).
• •France recorded at least 5,700 excess deaths in June.
• •England and Wales experienced their driest July since records began in 1836, with 19 counties recording no rain for the month.
• •A wildfire in southwestern France previously forced the evacuation of 220,000 people.
• •More than 2,800 excess deaths in the U.K. have been linked to heat waves in May and June.
• •A wildfire in Tírig, Valencia, has burned over 3 square miles and requires 300 personnel and 21 aircraft to combat.
• •Global average surface air temperature for July was 16.90 C (62.42 F), tied for the second warmest July on record.