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Germany imposes speed limits on autobahn in midst of European heat wave

Cars and trucks drive past on the Autobahn A1 near Sottrum, northern Germany. EPA/FOCKE STRANGMANN

Large parts of western and central Europe sweltered in scorching weather, with German authorities imposing autobahn speed limits amid fears of buckling road surfaces and some French schools staying closed as a precaution.

Authorities have warned that temperatures could top 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the continent over the coming days as a plume of dry, hot air moves north from Africa.

READ MORE: France on high alert as incoming heat wave expected to reach up to 40 Celsius

The transport ministry in Germany’s eastern Saxony-Anhalt state said it has imposed speed limits of 100 kph or 120 kph on several short stretches of highway until further notice.

Those stretches usually have no speed limit, but officials fear they might crack in the heat and endanger drivers.

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Professor Hannah Cloke, a natural hazards researcher at Britain’s University of Reading, said the heat along with a build-up of humidity is a “potentially lethal combination.”

People crowd the beach at the Baltic Sea in Binz, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2019. Germany faces a heat wave with temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius. (Stefan Sauer/dpa via AP)

READ MORE: By 2100, 75% of the world’s population will face deadly heatwaves

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“Children, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are particularly at risk,” she said.

Around France, some schools have been closed because of the high temperatures, which are expected to go up to 39 degrees Celsius in the Paris area later this week and bake much of the country, from the Pyrenees in the southwest to the German border in the northeast.

Such temperatures are rare in France, where most homes and many buildings do not have air conditioning.

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WATCH BELOW: Rome’s zoo animals keep cool with ice pops during Italy heatwave

Click to play video: 'Rome’s zoo animals keep cool with ice pops during Italy heatwave'
Rome’s zoo animals keep cool with ice pops during Italy heatwave

In Paris, authorities banned older cars from the city for the day as the heat wave aggravates the city’s pollution.

Regional authorities estimate the measure put into place Wednesday affects nearly 60 per cent of vehicles circulating in the Paris region, including many delivery trucks and older cars with higher emissions than newer models. Violators face fines.

French charities and local officials are providing extra help for the elderly, the homeless and the sick this week, remembering that some 15,000 people, many of them elderly, died in France during a 2003 heat wave.

WATCH: Europe-wide extreme heatwave has people, animals trying to keep cool

Click to play video: 'Europe-wide extreme heatwave has people, animals trying to keep cool'
Europe-wide extreme heatwave has people, animals trying to keep cool

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe cited the heat wave as evidence of climate destabilization and vowed to step up the government’s fight against climate change.

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With temperatures in Milan forecast to hit 40 C, an aid group said it was preparing to distribute 10,000 bottles of free water to the homeless and other needy people.

Kids cool down in a stream in the English Garden in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2019. Germany faces a heat wave with temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius. Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP

About half of Spain’s provinces are on alert for high temperatures, which are expected to rise as the weekend approaches.

The northeastern city of Zaragoza was forecast to be the hottest on Wednesday at 39 C, building to 44 C on Saturday, according to the government weather agency AEMET.

In southwestern Europe, however, some people had other reasons to complain during their summer vacation: the Portuguese capital Lisbon, on Europe’s Atlantic coast, awoke cloudy and wet Wednesday.

READ MORE: Scientists predict major increase in heatwave deaths as world warms

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