Temperatures in the French capital are expected to exceed 35 degrees Celsius as the Games get under way

With the Games about to get under way, temperatures in the French capital are expected to exceed 35 degrees Celsius and the heat will continue to ravage the Mediterranean.

Temperatures in Paris are expected to approach 30 degrees Celsius on Friday, the opening day of the Olympic Games, before continuing to rise, according to Weather Service International, Bloomberg reported.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves, bringing extreme weather events such as floods and wildfires. While Greece and the Balkans have been the worst-hit parts of Europe so far this summer, many parts of Spain will also see temperatures reach 42 degrees Celsius over the next few days.

As of 6pm last Sunday (July 21), 30 forest fires had broken out in Greece in 24 hours, with most cities including Athens and Thessaloniki under high fire alert.

Civil Defence Minister Kykylias said it had been the toughest forest fire season in two decades, but the government had adopted a more aggressive fire-fighting strategy, using planes and helicopters, while easing access to the forest for fire trucks and ordering clearance of flammable vegetation in open Spaces.

Around Athens, drones equipped with infrared cameras are being used to detect fires.

"You can't lose in the middle of summer," Mr. Chicillas said in an interview on state television last Sunday. "We have the rest of July and all of August, and then autumn, and we don't know how the weather will change."