Europe heatwave intensifies as France issues red alerts and UK braces for 38C temperatures

Europe’s heatwave intensified on Monday, with France placing nearly half the country under its highest weather alert, Britain bracing for temperatures approaching 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit), and authorities across the continent warning of mounting risks to health, infrastructure and public services.

The scorching conditions are being driven by a mass of hot air moving north from the Sahara, trapped beneath a high-pressure system known as the “African anticyclone”, creating a so-called...