In case you missed it: 2nd record-shattering heat wave sweeps Europe; Chilly air brings taste of fall to southern US

As July 2019 remains on track to become the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, a scorching, record-shattering heat wave swept through much of Europe for the second time this summer, with residents of countries including Germany, France and the Netherlands all struggling to keep cool amid sweltering conditions over the past week, particularly on Thursday.

High temperatures in Paris on Thursday soared to an astonishing 108.7 degrees Fahrenheit (47.6 degrees Celsius), which

of 104.7 F (40.4 C) that was set over 70 years ago at Parc Montsouris, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Eric Leister.

France’s interior minister noted an unfortunate side effect of the intense heat gripping France:

in July when compared to the same time last year, as people desperately seek relief from the heat, The Associated Press reported.

By Friday, the extreme heat gave way to an intense hailstorm in the French Alps just as Tour de France cyclists were about to race through. Race officials, however, abruptly called off the the 19th stage of the race because crews were unable to clear the hail from the course before riders would've have reached that area.

The Netherlands and Germany also endured record-setting heat Thursday, with temperatures for the first time ever reaching or exceeding 104 F (40 F) in the Netherlands -- this occurred when highs topped 107.1 F (41.7 C) at Deelan.

The heat in the United Kingdom on Thursday soared to high temperatures of 101.7 F (38.7 C) in Cambridge, which broke the U.K.’s previous July record high of 98.1 F (36.7 C) and likely broke the country's all-time high temperature record, pending verification from the government's weather service.

Sheep Fire chars more than 113,000 acres in Idaho

Lightning is

on Monday evening on the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site, near Idaho Falls, according to officials.

Named the Sheep Fire for its proximity to a nearby dirt access road called Sheep Road, the blaze had seared more than 113,000 acres by Wednesday night. All non-essential personnel were evacuated from areas facing a potential risk, including the INL.

As of Thursday, officials stated in a press release that the Sheep Fire was 60 percent contained and no longer posed a threat to key INL research facilities.

Emergency response has been scaled back, and crews expect to achieve full containment

.

Cool air brings a taste of fall in July to the South

Just days after a sweltering heat wave, unusually cool air has swept through the southern United States, breaking centuries-old records along the way.

An

pushed through the region and brought with it severe weather on Tuesday. A low temperature of 38 F was recorded in Canaan Valley, West Virginia, on Wednesday morning.

While temperatures in San Antonio and Dallas, Texas, came within a degree or two of breaking record lows on Thursday, it was in Victoria, Texas, where the low of 62 F erased the previous record of 64 F, which was set in 1915. Other Texas cities like San Angelo also experienced new record lows.

See other record low temperatures for Texas and Arkansas below:

Deadly storms ended heat wave in Northeast, mid-Atlantic

Hundreds of thousands of residents in the northeastern U.S. had to deal with dangerous flash flooding and power outages on Monday night as deadly severe thunderstorms spread through the region.

: an 89-year-old Maryland man who perished after storms knocked over a tree in his driveway and a 17-year-old boy who died in a house fire during the severe weather in New Jersey.

In the Garden State,

were impacted by power outages at the storm’s height, according to Gov. Phil Murphy. As storms ripped through the Northeast, officials warned people to stay off the roads to avoid closed roads, knocked-out traffic signals, trees scattered across roadways and downed utility lines. Many trees reportedly hit homes and vehicles.

In Cape Cod,

touched down, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The rare EF1 twisters triggered a state of emergency in Harwich, Massachusetts, as they damaged hotels and other structures in the area.

NYC left in dark amid heat wave

During the scorching heat that spread across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic this past week, parts of Brooklyn in New York City lost power. More than 30,000 Con Edison customers were impacted and left in the dark on Sunday night.

A number of affected residents

on social media, while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo

, 100 generators and 50 light towers, along with a number of emergency management personnel, to help with the outage.

The unexpected outage led Mayor Bill de Blasio to call for an investigation into what led to the power being shut off as he criticized the energy company, Con Edison, at a press conference on Monday.

“I am extremely disappointed with Con Ed,” de Blasio said. “They've been giving us consistently inconsistent information over these last days. This was a situation we all saw coming, and I don't have any good answers yet as to why this happened and why it was not prevented.”

The mayor added that Con Edison had not provided a "clear answer" for the outage and that the private company is “

in a way a public agency would be.”

Weekend severe weather strikes the Midwest

Power outages hit the Midwestern U.S. last weekend, as well, as severe conditions struck the region. At one point, more than 560,000 customers, including in Michigan and Wisconsin, were left with no electricity.

Violent thunderstorms also hit areas from South Dakota and Iowa to Wisconsin and the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. In Brookings, South Dakota, and Windom, Minnesota, 75-mph, hurricane-force wind gusts downed a number of trees.

Several AccuWeather staff writers contributed to this story.

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