More than 150 mn in Europe set for temperatures over 35C on Friday

Areas of Europe home to more than 150 million people -- particularly in France, Germany, Spain and Italy -- are set for temperatures over 35C on Friday as the continent's latest heatwave spreads, according to AFP calculations.

A wider swathe of some 350 million people -- excluding Turkey -- are set to experience temperatures of at least 30C Friday in Europe, equivalent to around three in five inhabitants of the planet's fastest-warming continent.

The figures are according to an AFP analysis based on German weather service forecasts and 2025 population projections from the Joint Research Centre.

Repeated heatwaves and drought have fuelled a historically hot summer in Europe, contributing to the deaths of thousands of people so far, including in countries that are used to more temperate climates and so can be ill-equipped to deal with heat.

Scientists blame ever hotter and more frequent heatwaves on human-caused climate change.

AFP's findings showed that the most intense heat is again expected in western and southern Europe, which sweltered through similar temperatures on Thursday.

Temperatures are set to climb above 35C in regions of mainland France home to 46 million people.

The heatwave is set to spread to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany -- countries that were less affected in previous days.

More than 10 million people in Belgium, or nearly nine out of ten inhabitants, are set for 35C heat, while 34 million in the west of Germany and 12 million in the Netherlands face similar temperatures.

The UK was forecast to cool on Friday, but it is expected to remain above 30C in the southeast.

In southern Europe, temperatures are set to rise above 35C in regions home to 24 million people in Spain and 18 million in Italy, fewer than on Thursday.

AFP calculates the figures using a method similar to that of Austrian NGO Klimadashboard, cross-referencing population density with the weather forecast model from the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) -- Germany's national meteorological service -- published at 0300 GMT.

Residents are counted if the model forecasts temperatures above 30C or 35C at their location at any point during the day.

As the model has a resolution of approximately 6.5 km, it does not fully capture urban heat-island effects, when cities are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas, David Jablonski of Klimadashboard told AFP.

Consequently, the analysis "likely underestimates the number of people affected in densely populated urban areas", the organisation notes on its "European Heat Tracker" website.