It will be heat wave No. 5, and the United Kingdom and France are already bracing for impact. Temperatures across Europe since May have been very high, setting several records.

In southeastern France, temperatures are expected to hit 104 degrees on Tuesday, and in the U.K., later this week, it'll be as hot as 96.8.

(MORE: Another heat wave targets Europe this week: How hot will it get?)

All of this has contributed to ongoing wildfires, prolonged drought and thousands of heat-related deaths.

“Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe; the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought. As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

(MORE: Explosive 'fire clouds' are supercharging Europe’s dangerous wildfires)

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“This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”

Temperatures fuel wildfires in France

In France, heat wave alerts were issued for the first time ever in May — when more than half the country recorded new monthly temperature highs.

In June, the heat got worse. June 23 was the hottest day ever recorded in the country, hitting 111.7 degrees in the southwest. At least 5,700 more deaths than usual have been recorded, according to France’s public health agency.

By July, temperatures contributed to a historic wildfire in southwestern France. It resulted in one of the continent’s biggest evacuation efforts since World War II, forcing 220,000 people to flee their homes.

UK is plunged into drought

In the U.K., it has been an exceptionally hot and dry summer. Half of England and all of Wales are experiencing drought.

More than 2,800 excess deaths linked to extreme temperatures were blamed on record-breaking heat waves in May and June.

(MORE: Traveling to Europe? The heat might be closing the attractions you are planning to visit)

In preparation for this next wave, the heat alert there warns that significant impacts on health services, including a rise in deaths among older and vulnerable people, are likely.

Global records

So far, this is the third-hottest year on record, behind 2024 and 2025, climate statistics show.

But there’s a chance that by the end of the year, 2026 could top the list. That's partially because of this year's strengthening El Niño — a periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that leads to temperature variations around the globe.

(MORE: Live market odds: Are we heading for the hottest year on record?)

Last month saw the highest average sea surface temperature ever recorded for July across the extrapolar oceans, or the oceans free of seasonal sea ice, according to the European climate agency Copernicus.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.