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June 28 (UPI) -- It is really hot in Europe, and the European Space Agency has the satellite images to prove it. Scientists with ESA generated a heat map of continental Europe using data collected by the space agency's Copernicus Sentinel-3's Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer. The map shows the temperature of the land across Europe on June 26.
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The heatwave currently gripping Europe is producing record temperatures for June. In France, thermometers are registering 100 degrees Fahrenheit, moving Paris officials to ban certain vehicles inside the city.
Cities throughout Spain, Italy and Germany also experienced extreme highs on Wednesday and Thursday. In Catalonia, wildfires fueled by the extreme heat and winds are quickly spreading.
The heatwave has already claimed several lives, and officials are concerned that they could experience a repeat of the 2003 heatwave that killed thousands.
According to meteorologists, extremely hot air from North Africa is being pulled northward across Europe by a region of high pressure stalled over central and eastern Europe. The slow movement of warm air across the continent is being encouraged by a storm stalled over the North Atlantic.
Several studies have blamed climate change for the increased risk of heatwaves in Europe.
As CO2 levels continue to encourage rising ocean and air temperatures, and as slowing atmospheric currents cause extreme weather to persist, heatwaves are expected to get hotter and last longer.
