Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week.

The UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was "a brutal reminder of the spiraling impacts of the climate crisis".

France’s EU Affairs Minister says it’s time for Europe to leverage “all the tools” it has to protect itself from the increasingly “aggressive trade practices” of foreign competitors. He adds that China and the US have long abandoned the foundational rules of international trade.

The French capital, Paris, on Saturday hit 31.9°C, its highest temperature of the year. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will hold a meeting Thursday with key ministers to go over government preparations for the heatwave.