W. Europe set for hot summer: forecaster

This summer is very likely to be hotter than average across western Europe and there is a 1 in 8 chance of another heatwave like 2003, which killed thousands of people, the UK's Met office said.

"There is a high probability (at least 70 percent) that mean summer temperatures will be above the 1971-2000 long-term average over much of western Europe, including the UK," Britain's national weather forecaster said in a statement. "Indications for this year suggest the odds for a particularly hot summer, similar to those experienced in 2003 and 2006 across the UK, are around 1 in 8," it said.

High summer temperatures in 2003 caused thousands of deaths and a number of power plant closures across Europe.