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Updated Jun 30, 2019 - Science

In photos: Europe swelters through a blistering heat wave

Rebecca Falconer
People bathe in the Trocadero Fountain near the Eiffel Tower in Paris during a heatwave on June 28.
People bathe in the Trocadero Fountain near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photo: Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP/Getty Images

Officials pleaded with people to take precautions as Western Europe's deadly heat wave continued to break temperature records in several countries this week, AFP reports.

Details: Meteorologists say scorching-hot air from the Sahara is responsible for Western Europe's unusually early summer heat wave — and it's sending temperatures soaring past 100°F in some places, per the World Meteorological Organization. Here's how some are dealing with the impact of the heat.

Firefighters battle a wildfire in central Spain. The country has been hit with a series of wildfires as temperatures remained sky-high at the weekend, per AFP.
Spain has been hit by a series of wildfires, like this one in central Spain, as temperatures remained sky-high during the weekend, per AFP. Photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP/Getty Images
Surfers enjoy the unseasonably warm weather in Bournemouth, southern England on June 27.
Surfers enjoy the unseasonably warm weather in Bournemouth, on England's south coast. Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images
A young man is dressed in the colours of the rainbow and dressed in a bathing suit.
Many people wore bathing suits as they cooled off in fountains after a Pride parade in Paris. Photo: Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images
A boy jumps from a diving board in to a swimming pool in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany on June 26.
A swimming pool complex in Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: Andreas Arnold/AFP/Getty Images
A man dives as people cool off at La Concha beach in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian.
La Concha beach in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian. Photo: Ander Gillenea/AFP/Getty Images
Team USA drinks water and gets wet towels because of the heat wave during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Round Of 16 match between Spain and USA at Stade Auguste Delaune on June 24.
Team USA drinks water and gets wet towels during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Round Of 16 match clash with Spain in Reims, France. Photo: Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images
Crowds on the pebble beach in Brighton, on England's south coast.
Crowds on the pebble beach in Brighton, on England's south coast. Photo: Andrew Hasson/Getty Images
Nuns stand in the shadow of an umbrella and use a fan to protect from the heat on a hot summer day before attending the Pope's weekly general audience at Saint Peter's square at the Vatican.
Nuns protect themselves from the heat at the Vatican. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
Dogs refresh by a public fountain during an unusually early summer heatwave on June 24.
Dogs refresh by a public fountain in Rome, Italy. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
A man walks by as tourists take selfies on the French Riviera city of Nice on June 24.
People on the French Riviera city of Nice. Photo : Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images
Tourists enjoy themselves at Infantry Memorial Monument Square in Brussels, Belgium on June 25.
Tourists at Infantry Memorial Monument Square in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Zhang Cheng/Xinhua via Getty Images
Meerkats can taste an ice cream bomb filled with delicacies at Berlin Zoo.
Meerkats taste an ice cream bomb filled with delicacies at Berlin Zoo. Photo: Paul Zinken/picture alliance via Getty Images
People make their way in peddal boats on the Old Danube (Alte Donnau), a subsidiary of the Danube river, in Vienna, Austria on June 25.
People are taking to pedal boats on the Old Danube, a subsidiary of the Danube River, in Vienna, Austria. Photo: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

This article has been updated with new details on the latest weather conditions and more photos.

Go deeper: All the global temperature records broken in 2019, so far

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