Europe braces for another summer heatwave

Much of Europe is bracing for yet another heatwave following periods of scorching temperatures that have driven rivers to record lows, ignited historic forest fires and contributed to thousands of deaths. 

Parts of Britain and France on Monday were already under extreme heat warnings with forecasts of temperatures around the mid-30s Celsius, while parched conditions saw new fires erupt in Greece and Spain.

Unusually high temperatures were also forecast in coming days across a swathe of countries not accustomed to the heat, such as Switzerland, Austria and Hungary.

Europe's weather warning system MeteoAlarm on Monday said scorching temperatures are already being felt across much of Italy and coastal areas of Croatia.

Here's what to know as temperatures soar again across the continent, the fastest-warming on the planet due to human-caused climate change.

The United Kingdom's Met Office warned at the weekend that the summer's fifth hot spell was about to take hold in a country whose infrastructure has been built for a more temperate, cooler climate.

"Yet another spell of extremely hot weather is set to spread north across much of the UK with temperatures reaching the mid-30s Celsius in places," it said on X on Sunday.

Half of England and the whole of Wales is already officially in drought -- leaving 23 million people subject to hosepipe bans -- with more English regions expected to be declared in drought later Monday.

Next to no rain was in forecasts for impacted areas this week.

In France, the national weather agency Meteo-France warned on Monday that the southeast would see temperatures as high as 35C, spreading further across the country as the week progresses.

"The intense heat will affect almost the entire country between Wednesday and Friday," it said in a bulletin.

The agency also warned that due to climate change, "future summers will generally be hotter than those experienced to date".

Both France and the UK have seen thousands of excess deaths during previous heatwaves this year.

Greece reported its second fire this season to spark near the capital Athens on Monday, dispatching hundreds of crew and equipment.

Already, more than 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) of pine forests were blackened by a blaze that broke out 10 days ago northwest of the capital.

Firefighters were also struggling to contain a rapidly expanding blaze in southwestern Spain that had forced the evacuation of some 800 people and counting.

The weather was offering "no respite", local officials said.

France and Spain have already seen historic wildfires so far this summer, with record levels of drought causing tinder-dry conditions.

Heat and drought are also driving rivers across Europe to record lows. The Rhine in Germany could drop so much it becomes unnavigable, industry groups warned on Monday. 

Cargo ships have managed to continue transporting goods along the river, which flows through the industrial heartland of Europe's top economy, but with reduced loads and at higher costs.

And Polish officials announced that the Vistula, the country's longest river, had matched its record low in Warsaw on Monday -- a record only set on Friday.

Low levels along the Danube river have already seen Hungary and Romania forced to consider shuttering their nuclear plants, which rely on the water for cooling, in late July -- though both managed to avoid doing so for now.

Nearly 120 million Europeans live in regions where July 2026 was the hottest ever recorded, according to an AFP analysis of national weather agencies and Copernicus climate data.

The records were concentrated in southern Britain, western France, and northern and eastern Spain.

At least 12,000 excess deaths were recorded across nine European countries during one heatwave in June, an AFP analysis of national statistics found last month, a toll that could rise as more data is released.

A solar eclipse occurring on Wednesday that will be visible across parts of the European continent is expected to attract skygazers despite the unwelcoming weather.

The European Space Agency's observatory in Teruel, Spain, will host a day of activities up to the main event with the eclipse beginning at 7:33 pm CEST (1733 GMT) and reaching totality at 8:23 pm.

The area saw temperatures breach 30C on Monday and the eclipse will cross over areas that were hit