A woman cools off in a water fountain in Marseille as a heatwave hits much of the country, France, June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

PARIS (Reuters) - France saw a temperatures rise to record levels for the third time in a same day on Friday as a sweltering heatwave engulfed much of southern and central Europe, French state weather agency Meteo France said.

In Gallargues-le-Montueux, near Nimes, in Southern France, temperatures rose to a record 45.8 degrees Celsius (114.44 Fahrenheit) mid-afternoon.