Britain recorded hottest day ever with temperatures hitting 40.2 degrees Celsius

London: Western Europe is facing more sweltering temperatures today as a ferocious heatwave heads north. Britain recorded its hottest-ever day Tuesday, with temperatures hitting a high of 40.2 degrees Celsius in south England, according to provisional data from the Met Office. It comes as people in United Kingdom face the second day of an extreme heatwave, which is causing widespread disruption and raising the risk of wildfires.

Health authorities urged people to take precautions, including staying indoors and drinking plenty of water. It comes as many parts of Europe and North Africa are also currently experiencing extreme temperatures, with wildfires breaking out in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Morocco forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

In Spain and Portugal, more than 1,000 deaths have been attributed to the heat in recent days. Two people were killed by forest fires in Spain’s north-western Zamora region and trains in the area were halted because of fire near the tracks. An elderly couple died while trying to escape fires in northern Portugal. France’s national weather office said, several parts of the country saw their hottest-ever days with the western city of Nantes recording 42 degrees Celsius. Wildfires in recent days forced more than 30,000 people to flee, with emergency shelters set up for evacuees.

A zoo with 1,000 animals was among the areas evac