PARIS (AP) — Hot, hotter, hottest: Paris and London are bracing for record temperatures as the second heat wave this summer bakes the continent.

The Paris area could be as hot as 42 C (108 F) Thursday as a result of hot, dry air coming from northern Africa that's trapped between cold stormy systems.

London might see 39 C (102 F). And swaths of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland could face temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F).

Climate scientists warn this could become the new normal. But temperate Europe — where air conditioning is rare — isn't equipped for the kind of temperatures frying the region this week.

So tourists are jumping in fountains and authorities are fanning out to help the elderly, sick and homeless hit hardest by the heat.