© The Weather CompanyRecord temperatures are being recorded across southern Europe
Wildfires have been sparked in Italy and tourist sites in Greece have been shut because of the heat.
One man died in Spain of suspected heatstroke late Wednesday while working on roads near Seville, where temperatures reached 43C. In nearby Granada the mercury has been recorded at 45.7C.
Spain's meteorological agency AEMA said seven cities including capital Madrid had set record temperatures for July.
It soared to 40.2 C in Madrid, smashing a previous record of 39.6 C recorded in 2015.
New record highs were also set in Badajoz, Caceres, Ciudad Real, Cordoba, Jaen and Teruel.
Blazes have broken out across southern Italy and Sicily, where the temperatures have also climbed above 40C this week.
Wildfires near the Calampiso seaside resort west of Palermo, the Sicilian capital, forced the evacuation by boat of more than 700 tourists on Wednesday night.
About 10 people were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation but there were no reports of serious injuries. The resort will remain closed until the weekend.
In Greece, the heatwave led the culture ministry to close popular archaeological sites around the country, including the Acropolis in Athens, on Wednesday.
However, low pressure will continue to bring plenty of cloud, rain and showers over northern Europe into central-eastern areas.
Forecaster Eleanor Bell, of The Weather Channel, said: "High pressure ridging in from the Atlantic will bring dry and sunny conditions to much of Iberia and France.
"Low pressure cells will push south-east into central-eastern Europe with cloud, rain, showers and thunderstorms there."
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