Europe in the grip of heat: graphical time-lapses of anomalous temperatures in June

A time-lapse graph released Tuesday shows daily temperature anomalies across Europe in June, with temperatures consistently above average.

A second time-lapse graph, produced by NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, shows temperatures across the planet near Earth’s surface.

Some Italian regions banned working outdoors during the hottest hours of the day, dozens of schools were closed in France, and Spain confirmed last month was the hottest June on record, while a severe heatwave hit Europe, causing widespread health alerts.

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has confirmed that "several regions" have seen record-breaking temperatures for June in recent days.

Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, with temperatures rising twice as fast as the global average, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, which reports extreme heatwaves that occur early in the year and persist into the following months.

Extreme heat kills up to 480,000 people a year worldwide, according to Swiss Re, which notes that this figure exceeds the combined death toll from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes.