BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - As the blistering early-summer heatwave unleashes life-threatening temperatures across much of the northern hemisphere, Spain and England have recorded their hottest June in history.
Spain's national weather service confirmed a record 46°C reading in the southern town of El Granado.
England's Met Office said June's mean temperature of 16.9C set a new record for that month, while Portugal recorded the highest-ever daily temperature for June - 46.6C.
There has been little let-up in stifling day and night temperatures across the continent, reports say.
In the Spanish city of Barcelona, a road sweeper reportedly died after completing her shift, prompting an investigation and widespread public appeals to keep out of the sun wherever possible.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, night-time minimum temperatures and daytime maximum temperatures broke monthly station records for June in parts of Western and Southwestern Europe.
UN weather experts warned that this is a worrying sign of things to come.
'Everybody is at risk,' insisted Clare Nullis, spokesperson for WMO. 'If you go out without water in the middle of the day, to do jogging, have a bike ride, you will probably have health problems or even die.'
'The frequency and intensity of extreme heat events is increasing in Europe and by 2050 about half the European population may be exposed to high or very high risk of heat stress during summer,' Nullis said.
If part of the reason for Europe's heat misery is because it is in the grip of a strong high-pressure weather front trapping hot air from northern Africa, Nullis noted that 'human-induced climate change' is the source of these acute weather events.
Another part of the climate puzzle is that sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are exceptionally high for this time of year. 'It's the equivalent of a land heatwave', the WMO spokesperson said.
'Extreme heat creeps up on you, while dangerously warm conditions are becoming 'more frequent, more intense' because of global warming caused by burning fossil fuels,' she added.
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