Record-breaking heat wave melts Europe; See Pics

Europe is sweltering in its heatwave, with scorching temperatures expected, risks of wildfires raised and low water levels recorded. Much of Europe is baking in a heatwave that has pushed temperatures into the mid-40s Celsius (over 110 Fahrenheit) in some regions, with wildfires raging across the tinder-dry countryside in Portugal, Spain and France.

A fierce heatwave in western Europe has left much of the continent wilting under a scorching sun, feeding ferocious wildfires and threatening to smash more temperature records. Credit: Reuters Photo

In Britain, forecasters said the current national record of 38.7 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) could be broken and 40C breached for the first time, with experts blaming climate change and predicting more frequent extreme weather to come. Credit: Reuters Photo

On July 18, Suffolk, in eastern England recorded 38.1C recorded making it the hottest day of the year and the third-hottest day on record. Credit: Reuters Photo

Across the Channel in France, a host of towns and cities recorded their highest-ever temperatures on July 18, the national weather office said. Credit: Reuters Photo

The mercury hit 39.3C in Brest on the Atlantic coast of Brittany, in the far northwest of the country, smashing a previous record of 35.1C from 2002. Credit: Reuters Photo

Saint-Brieuc, on the Channel coast, hit 39.5C beating a previous record of 38.1C, and the western city of Nantes recorded 42C, beating a decades-old high of 40.3C, set in 1949. Credit: Reuters Photo

Firefighters in France's southwest were still struggling in the crushing heat to contain two massive fires that have caused widespread destruction. Credit: Reuters Photo

The European heatwave is the second to engulf parts of the southwest of the continent in recent weeks. Credit: AFP Photo

European Commission researchers, meanwhile, said nearly half (46 percent) of EU territory was exposed to warning-level drought. Eleven percent was at an alert level, and crops were already suffering from lack of water. Credit: AFP Photo

Blazes in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain have destroyed thousands of hectares of land. Credit: Reuters Photo

A total of 8,000 people were being evacuated from near the dune as a precaution, as changing winds blew thick smoke into residential areas, officials said. Credit: AFP Photo