Much of France Under Heat 'Red Alert'

France put emergency services and military forces on wildfire alert, restricted public alcohol consumption, and canceled some outdoor sports events to cope with a heat wave unfurling across parts of Europe, per the AP. About a third of France is under a "red alert" for heat on Sunday, with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The forecast is even hotter for Monday, which could end up being one of the hottest days ever recorded in the country, notes Reuters. Air-conditioning isn't common in France, and the Eiffel Tower and other Paris venues set up misting stations to cool crowds. French media reported that four children drowned Saturday.

• Large parts of Spain are also on heat alert because of temperatures expected to hover around 40C (104F)—even in the interior of Basque Country, a northern region that typically experiences cooler temperatures.
• In Italy, authorities expanded heat warnings—referred to locally as "red flags"—to eight cities Sunday in northern and central parts of the country. Temperatures there are mostly in the upper-30s C (high 90s to low 100s F).
• In Germany, temperatures are soaring into the mid-30s C (from 91F to 97F). A 23-year-old man drowned Saturday in a lake near Rheinstetten in the southwestern region of Baden-Württemberg, and three other people are missing after swimming in the Rhine River.
• Britain's weather office issued an "extreme heat" warning for much of southern England and parts of Wales on Monday and Tuesday, saying temperatures could exceed 35C (95F). The current record for a June day is 35.6C (96F), reached in 1976.