ENGLAND: Multiple schools in England were closing early Tuesday and were set to remain closed for two more days, as a heatwave expected to set new records in the UK spread across Europe.

The UK's meteorological office issued an extremely rare red heat warning -- only issued once before -- for Wednesday and Thursday, as temperatures could soar to 40C, unprecedented for the time of the year.

The red "extreme heat" warning extends to parts of central and south England, including London and Birmingham, the UK's two biggest cities.

The Met Office also forecast that the June temperature record -- 35.6C, set in 1976 -- could be broken on Tuesday, with the mercury expected to rise to 37C in southern England.

"To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering," said Met Office chief scientist Stephen Belcher.

"Human induced climate change has made events like this more likely and more intense," he added.

Climate experts have also repeatedly told the government that the UK is not prepared for warmer summers.

Dozens of schools said they planned to close early on Tuesday.

A school in southeastern Buckinghamshire said it was closing on Wednesday and Thursday because "most of our buildings cannot be cooled adequately and there is little shade outside."

Network Rail, which manages most of the UK's railway, told passengers to "only travel if absolutely necessary" on those days, while the railway line connecting the northeast to London issued a "do not travel" advisory.

The Met Office warned that high overnight temperatures could see "tropical nights" across parts of England and Wales.

"We're expecting severe and significant impacts from this heatwave, with health impacts likely for many, even beyond those who are normally more vulnerable to the heat," said Met Office deputy chief forecaster Mark Sidaway.

Italy issues red alerts

Italy's health ministry declared a red heatwave alert in 15 cities, including Milan and Rome, on Tuesday, advising people to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day.

The number of red alerts will rise to 16 on Wednesday and 17 on Thursday, the ministry said.

There have been blackouts in Milan and Turin due to a spike in air-conditioning use.

The hospital service in Parma, northern Italy, said 1,068 people had accessed its emergency care facilities over the last three days due to the heatwave.

In Rome, a doctors' association told the Corriere della Sera daily that seven public health service clinics had no air conditioning or broken air conditioning.

The city's transport authority said the batteries on its new electric buses were running out of power faster than usual due to increased cooling demands.

France records hottest-ever night

France experienced its hottest night from Monday to Tuesday since records began in 1947, according to the Meteo-France weather agency.

The national temperature indicator -- an average of readings from 30 stations across France -- reached 21.6C, surpassing the previous record of 21.4C set in July 2019.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said 40 people -- many of them young -- had drowned since June 18 amid the severe heatwave.

"The latest figure reported to us is 40 deaths since June 18, mainly among young people," Lecornu said during a crisis meeting on Tuesday.

The deadly heatwave has disrupted daily life across France, forcing school closures and train cancellations.

Earlier, Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari urged swimmers to respect safety rules after reporting around 20 drownings since the beginning of the weekend.

Spain under widespread warnings

Nearly all of Spain was under a heat alert on Tuesday, with parts of the south and north of the country placed on the highest warning level.

National weather agency AEMET issued red alerts for areas around the southern city of Cordoba, the northern city of Bilbao and parts of Cantabria.

Temperatures of up to 40C were forecast in parts of the Basque Country, where such extreme heat is relatively uncommon.

Large areas of central and northern Spain were placed under orange alerts, while most of the remainder of the country was covered by yellow warnings.

Authorities in Catalonia imposed restrictions on traditional Saint John celebrations because of wildfire fears, banning firecrackers and flaming objects within 500 metres of forests.

The heatwave, which began on Sunday, is expected to last until at least Thursday.

On Monday, 101 of Spain's 828 weather stations recorded temperatures of 40C or higher, while around 30 stations failed to drop below 25C overnight, underscoring the intensity of the extreme weather gripping much of western Europe.

Schools

UK schools plan to close as Europe braces for record-breaking heatwave