Temperatures are set to soar in parts of Europe as officials issued warnings of droughts, forest fires, and crop failure.
The heatwave has so far brought temperatures of a sweltering 39C to Paris and 38C to Florence, as a huge mass of hot air drifted up from the Sahara.
But as the stifling conditions become milder in France, where rural hospitals were on high alert, temperatures in central and eastern Europe are due to soar with the Romanian capital Bucharest hitting 39C by Thursday.
There will also be no let off for Italy, already experiencing its worst drought for 10 years, with temperatures in Rome expected to be in the mid-30s all week. And it will be even hotter in Spain, with Madrid expected to reach 37C by Wednesday.
Tourists shield themselves from the sun in Paris as the mercury hits 39C Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "The extreme heat will continue for central and southern parts of Europe, especially for Italy, southern France and Spain for the rest of this week.
"Last night, a cold front swept across the south east of the UK and into the northwest of Europe.
"This front won't give much rain, but instead a fresher feel to things, so over the next few days temperatures will be lower across the north west of Europe as well as the south east of England."
The hellish heat and prolonged dry spells have sparked a number of warnings from EU officials.
The European Forest Fire Information System has warned of a high risk of fires in southern Europe. There have already been wildfires in Portugal, Spain, southern France, and Greece.
Youngsters try to escape the heat in Rome In the worst incident, a fire started by arsonists two weeks ago on Spain's Canary island of La Gomera has now charred 12% of its surface area.
Regional trade spokeswoman Margarita Ramos said the damage to the island - which is home to the Garajonay National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site - was a "true environmental disaster".
Meanwhile, the EU's European Drought Observatory has reported drought conditions in parts of France, Germany, Spain and Italy, increasing worries about the long-term stability of freshwater supplies.
The dry weather has also badly affected crops in the EU.
Maize output is due to plunge by 13% to 58.1 million tons this year, according to French-based industry experts Strategie Grains, which warned that the "damage is irreversible".
Fires have ravaged the Canary island of La Gomera As people try to cope in the relentless heat, social media sites have been filled with messages from people moaning about the heatwave.
"Why is my room still a million degrees, this is northern Europe, I'm not made for this heat," complained one tweeter in Holland.
Sky's Ghaffar said there will also be the risk of localised flooding from a hurricane in the North Atlantic that will move across the Azores on Monday, bringing gusts of more than 100mph and over 100mm of rain.
In 2003, nearly 15,000 people died during a severe heatwave in France.
