PARIS -- Europe sizzled in its first major heat wave of the summer on Tuesday, as Barcelona recorded its hottest June in over a century and the summit of Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors.

The worst heat was felt in southern Europe, while punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit in Paris and remain unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands.

France and the rest of Europe remains in the grip of the first major heatwave this summer with health warnings in effect on Tuesday, even as conditions begin to improve in some parts of the region. Punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 40C in Paris and to stay unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands.