What is making Europe's record-breaking heatwave so severe?

Europe is having one of the hottest summers ever because the weather is acting like a big, stubborn friend who just won't let go.

Imagine you're playing outside on a really hot day, and then someone turns on a fan to blow even more warm air at you. That's kind of what’s happening in Europe, a high-pressure system, like a strong, steady friend holding an umbrella over the continent, is keeping the heat from escaping.

It started early and stayed for a long time.

Think about how you feel when you stay in the sun all day, your body gets warmer and warmer. Europe's weather has been like that: it didn't cool down at night, so people couldn’t rest, and the heat kept building up.

Also, the wind is helping, it’s bringing warm air from places even hotter than Europe. It's like having a friend who brings you extra hot chocolate when you're already feeling warm!

And sometimes, it feels like the sky is smiling at us, because the sun is shining so bright and clear, no clouds to block the heat.

So all these things together are making this heatwave really, really strong, like a long, fun summer day that just won’t end!