A record-breaking heat dome that has killed dozens in Western Europe is sliding east, with Germany and Poland bracing for the weekend peak.

Forty people have drowned trying to cool off, two small children died in a hot car, and France just recorded its warmest night on record. The heat is now a body count, not a forecast.

A solstice-week heat dome pushed France toward a national record and shut hundreds of schools, with Britain's peak still days away.

Spain braces for 44C, France curbs festival drinking and Britain faces its hottest June day on record as the heat builds toward a Monday peak.

A heat dome has settled over Western Europe for the summer solstice, with France warning Monday could be its hottest day on record and 53 departments already under an orange alert.