Reuters —

From Scandinavia to the Alps, Europeans endured sweltering conditions on Saturday as a heatwave linked to dozens of deaths spread eastwards, with record-breaking temperatures breaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some spots.

Denmark logged its highest-ever temperature after Britain, France, Switzerland and Germany had all experienced record heat in June and the weather system began rolling towards Poland.

Scientists said the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without man-made climate change, which has made this week’s night-time temperatures 100 times more likely than they would have been even two decades ago.

“The heatwave is going to peak at the weekend at well over 40 C in some parts of Germany,” said Karsten Brandt, a meteorologist at weather forecasting site Donnerwetter.de.