PARIS :  Europe's most severe heatwave on 
record is losing ground, although more than 95 million people on the 
continent are set to face temperatures of at least 35C on Tuesday, according 
to AFP calculations.

The continent is not used to experiencing such temperatures, especially so 
early in the summer, and its impact has been severe with excess deaths 
recorded, schools forced to close and outdoor activities canceled.

Tuesday's prediction is down from the more than 130 million estimated to have 
experienced such temperatures on Monday.

Two in 5 people in Europe (excluding Turkey) are still expected to face 
temperatures above 30C Tuesday as the heatwave scorches east after smothering 
western Europe last week.

This heatwave would have been "virtually impossible" in June without climate 
change, World Weather Attribution group scientists said.

Tuesday's affected populations are mainly located in the eastern and southern 
parts of the continent.

In Hungary, almost the entire population is expected to see temperatures 
reach 35C.

Slovakia, Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia and Croatia are also expected to 
see the thermometer climb above that threshold.

In Spain and Italy, millions of people are also set to be hit with these high 
temperatures.

The projected figures, calculated by AFP using a similar methodology to 
Austrian NGO Klimadashboard, "probably underestimates the number of people 
affected in densely populated urban areas", the NGO says on its European Heat 
Tracker website.

This is because this analysis does not fully capture urban heat-island 
effects -- when cities are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas, 
David Jablonski of Klimadashboard told AFP.

To produce these figures, AFP combined forecasts issued at 0300 GMT from the 
Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), Germany's national weather service, with 
population-density data from the Joint Research Centre.

Residents of a given area are counted if the model forecasts temperatures 
above 30C or 35C at that location at any point during the day on Tuesday.