The Mediterranean Sea was up to 6 degrees Celsius warmer than usual for the time of year, hitting a record of as much as 30 C (86 F) in Spain's Balearic Sea as a heat dome trapped hot air above Europe, the country's Aemet weather forecaster said.

Barcelona has recorded its hottest month of June since records started over a century ago. Spain’s national weather service said Tuesday that the observatory reported an average temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit,

Europe is sweltering under an intense heatwave, as temperatures soar across Spain, Portugal, France and Italy for one of the hottest summer starts ever recorded.