Europe heatwave: Wildfires, shut schools and red alerts

In France, the top of Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower was shut because of the high temperatures

A heatwave continued across parts of Europe on Wednesday, with temperatures passing 40 degrees Celsius in many countries.

A heatwave is a period of unusually hot weather.

In France, thousands of schools were ordered to close, while Italy limited work outdoors. In Germany conditions have led to water use being restricted in some areas.

Meanwhile, there are several countries on high alert for wildfires.

Fires have already caused damage in Turkey and Spain.

Dozens of heat alerts are in place in countries across Europe including France, Italy, Spain and Germany.

In France, nearly 2,000 schools were closed at midday on Tuesday across the country.

The country's capital Paris is on the highest heat alert for the first time in five years and the top of the famous Eiffel Tower will be closed until Thursday.

In Italy there are also red alerts and outdoor work has been banned in some Italian regions during the hottest hours of the day.

In Florence, a city in the north of the country, there was a power cut on Tuesday for a while after a surge in demand - possibly due to air conditioning.

A helicopter carries water to put out the fire during the wildfires in Turkey

Germany's national weather service is forecasting a peak of 40C on Wednesday.

Some rail services have been affected and in the north local media has reported a motorway buckling under the heat.

The high temperatures across the continent have increased the risk of wildfires.

Fifty thousand people have been evacuated from five regions in Turkey as forest fires were made worse by strong winds.

Wildfires also broke out in Spain's Catalonia region and spread quickly through farmland before being brought under control by firefighters.

Experts at the United Nations say heatwaves will be more a more frequent and intense

Climate change is making extreme heat in Europe more likely.

On Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organization - the United Nations' weather and climate agency - said people will need to learn to live with the new normal of extreme heatwaves, which will occur more often and be more intense.