A record-smashing heat wave dominated much of Europe the week of June 22. This heatwave hit France, Spain, the U.K. and Germany before spreading to central Europe. Four countries all broke their all-time high temperature record over the weekend of June 26 and 27: Germany, Czechia, Denmark and Poland.

Hottest days and nights in France

In some areas, it rewrote June's all-time record books – multiple times.

According to Météo-France, the official French meteorological administration, June 24 was the hottest day on record in France, even though the record was just set the day before.

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Prior to this heat wave, July 25, 2019, and August 5, 2003, were considered the country's hottest days on record, when considering a combination of 30 weather reporting stations across the country.

The country also set records for its warmest night twice, first the night of June 22, then again the night of June 24, in records dating to 1947, Météo-France said.

Another 12 locations set new all-time records June 25, which means that 60% of the stations with reliable records certified by Météo-France all saw an all-time record broken this heatwave. Another 37 all-time records fell on June 26, bringing the latest all-time record number to over 250.

Over 700 stations have broken their monthly records in this heatwave.

Bordeaux, in the west of France, had its three hottest temperatures in 106 years June 22 - 24, topping out at 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cherbourg (98.6 degrees) clobbered its previous all-time record high by almost 6 degrees on June 23.

Among the hottest highs in France so far were 111.7 degrees in Pissos and 110.5 degrees in Cazaux.

Highs soared to 104 degrees at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport June 24 and 102 degrees June 25, a rarity anytime of summer, but particularly in late June.

Météo-France issued an unprecedented number of red heat wave alerts across the nation covering 72 of the country's 96 departments. This extreme heat and winds in some areas lead to a high risk of rapidly spreading wildfires, as well.

Temperatures like these are similar to that of the Desert Southwest in the U.S. But the difference? Most places in Europe lack air conditioning to combat the heat. 

Météo-France said this heat wave had a severity level that could approach that of August 2003, which claimed nearly 15,000 lives in France alone, though its duration was much shorter than that 16 day historic heat wave.  

Not only were daytime high temperatures a concern, but nighttime lows provided little to no relief from the heat. So even when the sun went down, heat stress impacts were exacerbated.

(MORE: Why nighttime temperatures matter in a heat wave)

The UK's record June heat

The U.K. smashed multiple June temperature records.

Three days in a row, the June record was topped, after Lingwood, Norfolk hit 99.8 degrees on June 26. On June 25, Merryfield topped out at 98.1 degrees, and Gosport soared to 97 degrees on June 24. Prior to this heat wave, the previous June U.K. record was 96.1 degrees set in 1976.

It was the first time since 1911 that two consecutive months have observed record-breaking highs in the U.K.

If that wasn't enough, the night of June 24, Cardiff, Wales, only dropped to 74.3 degrees, the hottest June low temperature on record for both Wales and the U.K.

For the first time, the U.K. Met Office issued red alerts for extreme heat for three straight days, including the London metro and much of the south of England.

Temperatures soared into the 90s as far north as the Midlands of England June 23 - 25. London's Heathrow Airport soared to 95 degrees June 24 and also reached 90 degrees both June 23 and June 25.

What also shattered records was how muggy the air was.

Dew points, a measure of how much moisture is in the air, climbed into the 70s over virtually all of southern England June 24. That's the first time on record 70-plus dew points have been measured in London, according to Washington Post meteorologist Ben Noll.

It was scorching elsewhere

Spain set its warmest June day record twice, first on June 22, then on June 23, according to AEMET, the country's meteorological service.

Several locations in the country set June records, as well.

On June 22, it was as hot as 113 degrees in Andujar, Spain. The next day's high of 110.7 degrees in Tama, Spain, was an all-time record for Spain's Cantabria region, according to AEMET.

Parts of the south of Spain's Almerìa coast bordering the Mediterranean Sea hadn't dropped below 86 degrees for three mornings in a row. According to AEMET, that's the first time any location in Spain's mainland has recorded a June low that warm, much less for three consecutive June days.

And in the north of Spain, the village of Tresviso set its all-time hottest daily low temperature of 80.2 degrees. That's a daily low temperature you might commonly find in mid-summer at sea level along the U.S. Gulf Coast, rather than at 3,000 feet elevation in Spain.

Elsewhere, June 25 was also the hottest June day on record in many locations in Ireland, according to world temperature records expert Maxmiliano Herrera. A couple of reporting stations in the west of Ireland reached 90 degrees.

Herrera also noted nearly all reporting stations in Belgium and the Netherlands had their hottest day and night in history also on June 25.

Luxembourg saw their hottest June high of 97.3 degrees this day, breaking their previous record set in 2017. Their records go back to 1947.

In Germany, it was as hot as 102 degrees on June 25, and Frankfurt also reached the 100-degree mark. Germany set a new all-time high for the country the next day, then broke it again on June 27, after hitting 106.7 degrees. They broke it again on June 28 when Coschen hit 107.06 degrees.

According to the country's meteorological service DWD, the stretch of heat warnings over 12 days is among the longest since they began issuing heat warnings in 2005.

Poland's town of Słubice reached 104.9 degrees on June 28, breaking its all-time hottest temperature.

Czechia broke their all time hottest temperature on June 28 when they hit 105.98 in Doksany.

Slovakia reached 104.9 degrees at Muzla on June 29, which broke their all-time hottest temperature.

Belarus hit 104.7 degrees at Pinsk on June 29, which was yet another nation with an all-time hottest temperature record broken.

Hungary reached a scorching 107.6 degrees at Sczeeny on June 30, breaking their old record of 107.4 degrees in Kiskunhalas on July 20, 2007.

Even Denmark saw their hottest all-time temperature broken. The town of Ødum hit 98.6 degrees.

During extreme heat, remember these safety precautions:
-Take frequent breaks when outside
-Drink more water than usual
-Take cool showers or baths
-Wear lightweight and light-colored clothing

Miriam Guthrie is an associate meteorologist with weather.com who graduated from Georgia Tech with her undergrad and graduate degree in Earth & Atmospheric Sciences.

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