Popular holiday destinations are set to sizzle in a major heatwave as temperatures soar across Ireland this week.
An air mass pushing up from the south will bring extreme heat to countries such as Spain, Portugal, France and the UK.
Thousands of people heading off on their summer holidays to Spain have been warned to brace themselves for even hotter conditions.
READ MORE: Met Eireann's sensational forecast as expert says 30C conditions are set to blast Ireland
Several weather warnings have been issued for the country, with some parts of the holiday hotspot expected to see highs of 42C as the heatwave hits Europe.
Spain's national weather organisation AEMET has issued yellow temperature warnings for huge swathes of the country.
Temperatures in these areas - in the central part of Spain - are set to reach the high 30s this week.
Amber warnings are also in place for the western part of the country, with temperatures between 37C and 41C forecast.
Meanwhile, a red 'extreme' weather warning has been issued for the city of Ourense and the surrounding area on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach 42C.
Yellow warnings are also in place for the Canary Islands, while an amber warning has been issued for Gran Canaria.
Amber weather warnings have also been issued for most of neighbouring Portugal by the country's national weather organisation IPMA.
According to the UK Met Office , a high of 44C is predicted for Seville on Thursday, while popular tourist destination Alicante will see highs of 33C.
However, forecasters predicted a cooler 29C for Malaga this week.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has warned travellers that forest fires can occur frequently when temperatures reach over 40C in Spain.
Holidaymakers have been urged to take care when visiting or driving through woodland areas.
The heatwave is expected to last into next week, with an end to the scorching temperatures not yet determined.
The news comes as Ireland is set for a week of glorious heat as a band of hot air pushes up from the south of the country.
Conditions will improve further over the weekend, with temperatures reaching as high as 30 degrees in places.
A forecaster said: "The weather models in pretty good agreement now that hot air will move up over Ireland and the UK around Sunday and Monday. Latest temperature forecasts show 30c possible in Ireland by Monday."
Met Eireann has predicted conditions to remain settled until the end of the week with just a few isolated showers in places.
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