Spanish heat heads our way
and firefighters will be on standby across Portugal all weekend.
In Spain, heat warnings were issued for 41 of its 50 provinces as the heat was expected to reach up to 44C.
France will also swelter, hitting the high 30s in the south west.
Tourists to Europe are being warned to avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day.
Travel trade association Abta said: “If you go to the beach, go early and when it feels like it’s getting too hot leave, just as the locals do and go and have a nice lunch in the shade.
“The reason they do this is because they know how powerful the sun can get in the hottest part of the day and they do everything they can to avoid it.”
Bookies continue to slash odds, with Ladbrokes now making it 3-1 for the hottest day of the year to be today or tomorrow.
Stampede
Alex Apati, of Ladbrokes, said: “It’s only going to get hotter and the betting suggests we could hit record temperatures for the year this weekend.”
The record heatwave will trigger the biggest beach stampede of the year.
Millions of people across the country will flock to the seaside to soak up the rays this weekend. Cornwall is expecting a million visitors, while 225,000 are due in Brighton today.
Bournemouth and Great Yarmouth will also both see 100,000 visitors.
Today is set to be Europe’s hottest day on record as forecasters warned of “hell on Earth”.
Met Office forecaster Richard Miles said: “Top temperatures in Iberia look like 48C, but could be higher.
“Staying out of the sun is a sensible precaution for tourists.”
Brian Gaze, The Weather Outlook forecaster, added: “It’s a barbecue weekend for many.”