Several people have died in Europe's record-breaking heatwave

The French fry as temperatures reach over 108 degrees Farenheit.

(Image credit: ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP/Getty Images)

published 28 June 2019

Extreme heat has brought some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe, and the heatwave has already claimed several lives, The Weather Channel reported Friday.

A June record of 101.5 degrees was set Wednesday in Germany, while the Czech Republic and Poland have both topped 100 degrees this week. On Friday in France, temperatures reached a record high of 114 degrees in the southern town of Villevieille, beating the previous record set during a 2003 heatwave that killed thousands, BBC News reports.

Meteorologists explain that the hot air drawn in from northern Africa is responsible for the heatwave, as it causes high pressure over central Europe. Several people have lost their lives as a result of the high temperatures, including a 17-year-old and a 80-year-old in Spain, a 6-year-old in France and a 12-year-old in the U.K. Authorities in France have also reported four drowning deaths, as The Weather Channel previously reported. Some regions of France are under public health alert, with schools closed and emergency measures at the ready. Read more at The Washington Post.