France has recorded its hottest day since records began in 1947.

Its national weather agency says, breaking a record set on Tuesday as an early summer heatwave grips western Europe.

The national temperature indicator – an average of day and night temperatures across dozens of locations – hit 30C, up from 29.8C a day earlier.

More than half the country remains under a red heat alert, with tens of thousands of homes in the west without power. The temperature in Paris and many other areas broke 40C on Wednesday.

It comes as a searing European heatwave continues to cause deaths and disruption, particularly in France, Spain, and Italy.

Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world – but particularly in Europe. It is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.

This is causing increased summer heatwaves, greater pressure on Europe’s water supply, and more intense wildfires.

The heatwave spread to other parts of western Europe on Wednesday, with an orange alert for dangerous weather in place for parts of the Netherlands.

A rare red heat alert is in place for parts of the UK, with June records breaking on Wednesday as the English county of Hampshire recorded 36.1C. Temperatures could hit 38C on Thursday, forecasters say.