In Great Britain, the British have been sweating in over 30-degree heat for the fifth day in a row. It is the first time such a heat record has been recorded in September, according to the weather authority Met.
The highest temperature was measured on Friday in Cavendish in Suffolk: 30.9 degrees. The weekend is expected to be just as warm with a peak on Saturday of 33 degrees, which the Met says could be the hottest day of the year. A heat warning applies until Sunday evening for almost all of England.
Thunderstorms are expected after the weekend, followed by cooler weather.
Belgium has also been affected by a heat wave, for the first time in a September month. In Brussels, the temperature has exceeded 25 degrees five days in a row, which is the criterion for a heat wave according to the Belgian Meteorological Institute. For the past three days, temperatures of just over 30 degrees have been measured in the capital.
The Belgian heat wave is expected to last until Monday.
2023 is likely to be the hottest year in human history, according to the EU’s climate service Copernicus.