Very hot air from Africa is being pulled across Europe.

A heatwave is expected to bring temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius to parts of Europe next week. Temperatures in cities from Spain to Germany are expected to exceed 32C and could potentially climb to more than 38C or even 40C in the hottest areas. Much of Europe will see at least one day of “intense heat” over the course of the week, forecasting service AccuWeather said, with the majority of it focused on the areas around southern Germany, east France, Switzerland, northern Italy and Austria. The combination of a storm stalling over the Atlantic Ocean and high pressure over central and eastern Europe will act to pull very hot air from Africa northward across Europe. “This will set the stage for a potentially dangerous heat wave to occur over a large portion of western and central Europe,” AccuWeather said. In France, Météo France warned that the heatwave, while short, could be extremely intense. “Even though it will be shortlived, this heatwave could be remarkable for its momentum and intensity,” Météo France said. Meanwhile, Ireland will miss the brunt of the hot weather but we can expect temperatures to reach the mid twenties next week but the weather will be highly unsettled with the risk of rain and thunderstorms. In the UK, temperatures are expected to reach the high twenties on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.