European forecasters warn that 'hell is coming' as a record breaking heatwave is due to hit the continent tomorrow posing a threat to life.
With days of temperatures climbing to 104F (40C) and above in some cities, forecasters have predicted France may experience the hottest June on record.
The news has struck fear into many who recall the continent's 2003 heatwave which saw 15,000 people die as temperatures reached a peak of 44.1C in mid august.
France's national forecaster Météo-France has called the temperatures a threat to life and warned that the intense heat may not lull until next week - even during the nights.
The heatwave is being caused by a plume of hot air dubbed the 'Saharan bubble' which is being blown from the region by an unusually strong jet stream.
As France continues to host the women's world cup, officials are now considering whether to introduce water breaks in games to let the athletes cool down.
Paris and northern parts of the country will be worst affected - including La Havre, Normandy, where some matches are being held.
Cooling off: A woman escapes from the heat in a fountain just across the river from the Eiffel Tower in Paris - where temperatures may feel as high as 117F (47C)
A woman adjusts her hair while walking under a cloudless sky next to the Colosseum in Rome, where temperatures could reach as high as 100F (38C) in the coming days
A Europe-wide heatwave established itself Tuesday as forecasters in France and Germany issued heat warnings for most of the country
A plume of Saharan air could bring record-breaking June temperatures across Europe this week, and will not peak in some places until Thursday or Friday
A temperature of 36C was recorded at a swimming pool in Essen, Germany, on Tuesday - with conditions set to worsen throughout the week
Meanwhile in Germany, usually speed-free autobahns had a 60mph limit imposed to stop 'blow-ups' - when the road surface disintegrates and shreds car tyres.
Temperatures of 97F (36C) were recorded at one swimming pool in the city of Essen, with conditions set to worsen tomorrow.
Tweeting a picture of an all-red weather map, Spanish forecaster Silvia Laplana joked: 'El infierno [hell] is coming.'
Visitors swim in a swimming pool in Essen, Germany, as the heatwaves settles in
Spanish forecaster Silvia Laplana tweeted this heat map of Spain on Monday, joking: 'El infierno (hell) is coming'
French citizens were warned of a threat to life while most of Germany was also issued with a heat warning this morning.
Meteorologists said that temperatures in French cities will reach the equivalent of 116F (47C) when high humidity is taken into account.
As a result national forecaster Météo France issued an orange warning - meaning there is a threat to life, even among otherwise health people - across more than half of the country, including Paris and the surrounding areas.
A heat warning was also issued across the majority of Germany, as people were warned to stay out of the sun and drink plenty of water.
Authorities in Saxony-Anhalt, to the west of Berlin, have imposed a 60mph speed limit on motorways amid fears the surface could crack and 'blow up' as it did during a heatwave in 2015.
Meanwhile, in nearby Brandenburg, firefighters were battling a blaze that has already consumed almost 250 acres of forest and have warned it will take several days to extinguish.
Officials warned people that the risk of forest fires is high and to take care during the heatwave, which is expected to last all week.
French meteorologist Meteorologist Guillaume Séchet told Le Parisien: 'The mercury will already reach incredible temperatures but with the humidity level in the air, the feeling will be terrible.
A boy back flips to jump in the water at Amager Beach Park in Copenhagen, Denmark, today
People cool down in a fountain in the Trocadero gardens in Paris, across from the Eiffel Tower
Children jump in the water at The Snail, an attraction at Amager Beach Park in Copenhagen, Denmark
France is considering letting players at the women's World Cup take water breaks, while fans were allowed to bring water into the game between Sweden and Canada last night
An elderly person drinking a glass of water to avoid heatstroke in Clermont-Ferrand, France
Holidaymakers crowd at the beach of Binz on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, north Germany
People visit a swimming pool in the center of Lyon, central France
People walk around a lake at the melting Rhone Glacier in Furka, Switzerland, which will also see high temperatures this week
'While we will have almost 40C in Paris, the atmosphere will be so heavy that we will feel the heat as if it were 47C.'
Education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer also took the unusual step of delaying school exams that were due to be sat on Thursday and Friday until next week.
He said the decision was taken to 'guarantee the security of the pupils'.
Meanwhile FIFA could be forced to introduce heat precautions at the women's World Cup, which is being played in France
The precautions include holding cooling breaks during matches and postponing games if the heat is too intense.
On Monday night fans were allowed to bring their own bottles of water into the stadium to cool off as Sweden took on Canada.
French beekeepers and farming groups have said they are bracing for a 'catastrophic' honey harvest this year after frost damage in winter, an unusually rainy spring, and, now, unusually high temperatures.
'In the hives, there is nothing to eat, beekeepers are having to feed them with syrup
