Some parts of Western Europe were starting to cool off as the extreme heat that has gripped the continent moved east.

Major heat waves across southern Europe have pushed temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in countries including Italy, Spain and Greece, as local authorities issued fresh warnings against the risk of wildfires.

The heat was so expansive that mountaintops, including the French Alps, that are usually frozen from snowpack saw record temperatures. Heat records were set for June in Spain and Portugal.

A heat wave covered much of Europe on Monday, with record-hot first day of play at Wimbledon and forest fires in Turkey and France. Heat warnings were issued for parts of Spain, Portugal,

As millions across Europe endure a blistering heat wave, with record temperatures triggering emergency alerts from Spain to the UK, experts are sounding the alarm over what they describe as a silent and increasingly deadly global crisis.

Around 2,300 people died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during the severe heatwave that ended last week, according to an analysis.