Extreme heat grips Europe from Mediterranean to Scandinavia, setting local records, fueling wildfires and violent storms, and pushing rivers to historic lows.

A new round of extreme heat is tightening its grip on Europe from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, setting local temperature records and fueling wildfires, violent storms and growing safety risks, while weeks of scorching temperatures and scarce rainfall have pushed major rivers to historic lows, disrupting shipping, industry and agriculture. Forecasters warn another heat surge could arrive around the turn of the month.