Europe is facing one of the continent’s worst heatwaves on record. Temperatures are soaring across western and central Europe, topping 100 degrees in many places. To put that in perspective, the highs are usually in the mid to upper 70s in Paris this time of the year. The Weather Channel reports, “France has issued it’s first-ever “red” weather alert since a new warning system was put into place after scores of deaths in a similar heat wave in 2003. The red alert is the highest warning.” A Spanish meteorologist described it as “hell is coming.”

It’s so bad the German government has even imposed temporary speed limits on the Autobahn, believing that the asphalt could crack in the intense heat.

Lilly Dohan (Miami, FL) takes a break at the Eiffel Tower after becoming overcome by the heat

Russell Dohan is vacationing in Paris and told us, “It’s hotter than any place I’ve ever been and that’s saying a lot because I’m from Miami and often travel to Vegas in the dead of summer. The heat is draining and because it’s usually not that hot many places don’t have AC or it’s broken because it’s working so hard. We’ve already been in 2 cars and a restaurant with no AC today- enough of this! It’s hard to handle.”

The BBC points out, “Heatwaves are not uncommon, but according to weather experts they are being amplified by a rise in global temperatures and are likely to become more frequent – one of the more predictable impacts of our warming climate.”

Vox adds:

This week’s sweltering weather is concerning because there are several key factors that make people in Europe vulnerable to extreme heat.

These factors converged to a devastating effect in the summer of 2003, when a heat wave baked the continent with temperatures 13 degrees above the average normal for the region. The heat killed at least 30,000 people caused 13 billion Euros in financial damages. Some estimates put the death toll as high as 70,000. At the time, it was the hottest summer for Europe since the 16th century.

Watch what ITV says about the heatwave above.