Paris just recorded its hottest temperature in history as a blistering heat wave sweeps across Europe
- Paris recorded an all-time high temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, as a blistering heat wave scorched through Europe.
- Météo-France, the nation's meteorological service, said the smoldering temperature recorded around 4:30 p.m. local time was the highest ever measured for the city, breaking the previous record of 40.4 Celsius (104.7 Fahrenheit) in 1947.
- Temperatures also reached new highs across Europe, including in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
- The average global temperature in June soared to its highest level on record, and experts predict that July could follow the same pattern.
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Paris recorded an all-time high temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, as a blistering heat wave scorched through Europe.
Météo-France, the nation's meteorological service, said the smoldering temperature recorded around 4:30 p.m. local time was the highest ever measured for the city, breaking the previous record of 40.4 Celsius (104.7 Fahrenheit) in 1947.
France's all-time record of 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit) was set last month in the southern village of Gallargues-le-Montueux, according to Météo-France.
Elsewhere in France, temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), shattering previous records.
Paris residents cooled off in the fountains of the Trocadéro, across from the Eiffel Tower. Locals told the New York Times on Thursday that bathing in the fountain was a cost-effective way to beat the heat.
"Air-conditioners are expensive and consume a lot of energy," 26-year-old Sadio Konte told the Times. "Making the most of fresh and natural places is a smarter solution. And it's free."
Temperatures also reached record highs across Europe.
According to AccuWeather, Belgium recorded its highest temperature ever on Thursday of 40.7 Celsius (105.3 Fahrenheit) in Beitem in the West Flanders province, beating record of 39.9 Celsius (103.8 Fahrenheit) set on Wednesday.
The UK beat its July record temperature of 36.7 Celsius (98.1 Fahrenheit) on Thursday, with temperatures measuring in at 38.1 Celsius (100.6 Fahrenheit), it added.
In the Netherlands, temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time in its history, according to AccuWeather, reaching 41.7 degrees Celsius (107.1 degrees Fahrenheit) in the central village of Deleen.
In Lingen, Germany, a town in Lower Saxony, a new record of 41.5 degrees Celsius (106.7 degrees Fahrenheit) was measured.
Record heat has also been observed around the world.
The average global temperature in June soared to its highest level on record, and experts predict that July could follow the same pattern.
Several reports released last week confirmed that June was the hottest month on record, with record-breaking heat recorded throughout the month all around the world, including in Eastern Europe, northern Russia, Asia, Africa, South America, the north Indian Ocean, and across parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a report last week that nine of the 10 warmest Junes ever recorded have occurred since 2010.
Temperature spikes were particularly noticeable in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, including in Alaska, and in parts of Canada and Russia, where temperatures rose by 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher from average, the report said.
Satellite images posted online showed wildfires burning through huge portions of the Arctic, including Russia, Alaska, and Greenland this week. The World Meteorological Organization warned in a recent report that conditions in the Arctic are "unprecedented," and said climate change and a bout of hot, dry weather has created conditions for wildfires to thrive.