This week, a major heatwave has gripped Western Europe, bringing temperatures that have never been recorded before. It’s so extremethat, in several regions, power has gone out, schools have closed, and a wildfire has started. It was so hot in France this week, they hit a new record, topping 41°C (105.8°F) in Paris, forcing it to temporarily close its landmark Eiffel Tower as a precautionary measure. It caused power outages across large swaths of central France. The grid struggled to keep up with air conditioning requests. Dry conditions sparked a wildfire in the area. This prompted the government to warn that the country will need to change.

Spain and Italy both issued their highest possible level of warning (red), as Spain reported an average temperature of 28.17C on Thursday, which was the country’s hottest day for June, and German officials warned residents to conserve water and banned outdoor barbecue to prevent potential brush fires as a record-high June heat wave grips Germany.

The United Kingdom was in on the action as they also marked their hottest June day on record and have the chance to even set higher temperature records throughout the coming week, with the country having to close over 1,000 schools due to the heatwave for children’s safety. School kids in Europe have been told to skip their lunchbreak in the sun due to the heat and events such as the Mont Saint Michel Marathon were canceled.

Health officials recommend everyone to remain in their homes during the hottest parts of the day, drink water, and check on elderly relatives and neighbours during this BBC Newsround report.