Europeans were coping with Sahara-style conditions as a plume of hot air from Africa moved north across the Mediterranean.
Some schools closed in France while Germany, famous for not having a speed limit on motorways, introduced temporary restrictions on drivers.
Cool spaces and water were on hand, as authorities sought to avoid a repeat of the 2003 heatwave in France, which is thought to have caused up to 15,000 deaths, particularly among the elderly.
Tourists use umbrellas to shield themselves form the sun as they cross the medieval Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic (Petr David Josek/AP)
A woman carries a fan in Pamplona, northern Spain (Alvaro Barrientos/AP)
A resident in the zoo in Hannover, Germany, takes a dip in a fur coat (Hauke-Christian Dittrich/AP)
A couple swim beside a model boat in a lake in Ertingen, Germany (Thomas Warnack/AP)
Bishops shelter from the sun as they wait for the start of Pope Francis’ weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square (Gregorio Borgia/AP)
A woman watches the Seine river and Notre Dame cathedral in Paris (Kamil Zihnioglu/AP)
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