Portugal, Spain hit record-breaking 46 degrees C

A heatwave continues to grip large parts of Europe, with authorities in many countries issuing health warnings amid searing temperatures.

A new heat record for June of 46C was set on Saturday in the town of El Granado, according to Spain's national weather service, which also said this month is on track to be the hottest June on record.

The highest temperature previously recorded for June was 45.2C logged in Seville in 1965.

Red heat warnings are in force in parts of Portugal, Italy and Croatia, with numerous amber warnings covering areas of Spain, France, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia and Switzerland. 
Southern Spain is the worst-affected region, with temperatures in the mid-40s Celsius recorded in Seville and neighbouring areas.

Spain and Portugal reported record temperatures Monday as Italy and France braced for several more days of a punishing heatwave that has gripped southern Europe and Britain, sparking health and wildfire warnings.

The summer’s first major heatwave has seen authorities in the countries along the Mediterranean’s northern coast urging people to seek shelter and protect the most vulnerable.

‘This is unprecedented,’ Agnes Pannier-Runacher, France’s ecology transition minister said as a record 84 of the nation’s 96 mainland departments were placed on the second-highest ‘orange’ heat alert.

Ambulances stood ready near tourist hotspots as experts warned that such heatwaves, intensified by climate change, would become more frequent.