TEMPERATURES IN SPAIN and Portugal could hit 48 degrees Celsius or higher later this week – breaking the European temperature record.

Weather forecasters have issued a warning about the extreme temperatures, the hottest of which are expected in the Iberian Peninsula – taking in parts of Spain, Portugal and southwest France.

Several areas are bracing themselves for wildfires as a result of the heatwave.

In June 2017, 64 people were killed in the deadliest wildfires in Portugal’s history. In October of last year, a further 49 people were killed in fires in the Iberian area.

Source: UK Met Office/Twitter

The highest temperatures recorded in Spain and Portugal to date are 47.3 degrees and 47.4 degrees respectively.

The highest European temperature on record is 48 degrees, which was recorded in Athens in Greece in July 1977.

Dr Mark McCarthy, from the UK Met Office, told Euronews the peak of the heat "looks likely to occur on Saturday, with southern parts of Portugal or perhaps south-western Spain expected to see the highest temperatures".

Higher temperatures than normal have been reported in many countries in recent weeks. Water restrictions remain in place across Ireland following the recent heatwave here.

Contains reporting from © AFP 2018