LONDON: The UK recorded its hottest day of the year Thursday, reaching 38.1 degrees Celsius (100.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in west London, the national weather service said, as an intense stretch of hot weather continued to grip Europe.
The Met Office said the temperature surpassed this year’s previous high of 38 C (100.4 F), recorded on June 28. It remained below the UK’s August record of 38.5 C (101.3 F), set in 2003.
Britain, like France, is experiencing its fifth heat wave of the year.
Temperatures in France, meanwhile, have gone even higher, approaching 41 C (106 F) in several areas, from Aquitaine in the southwest to the Rhone River valley in the east, according to the national weather service.
The most intense heat is forecast to move eastward away from Britain and France on Friday and then recede over the weekend.
