HEAT WAVE EXPECTED TO SEND MERCURY SOARING

An intense heat wave is set to bake Europe in the coming days, and it could be historic, potentially shattering records across a large portion of the continent.

The heat wave is expected to peak by Wednesday when a swath from Spain to Poland is expected to see temperatures at least 11 to 17 degrees Celsius above normal. Actual temperatures should surge to at least 35 to 40 C over a sprawling area, with some spots hotter.

In Paris, temperatures may approach 38 C Wednesday through Friday. The city along with more than half of France is under an orange alert, the second highest level on the country’s heat scale. Early summer heat waves can be especially lethal.