The Latest: More risk of wildfires in scorched Sweden

LISBON, Portugal – The Latest on the extreme heat in Europe (all times local):

11:30 a.m.

Sweden's Civil Contingencies Agency is warning of "a high risk" for wildfires in central and southern Sweden this weekend because of the dry and warm weather.

"In addition to extremely high fire risks, we also have a forecast with very strong winds. The combination poses a greater danger to life and health as the area is densely populated," the government agency's operating director Jakob Wernerman said.

The Scandinavian country has over the past weeks had dozens of wildfires, mostly in central, western and northern Sweden, and foreign firefighters helped their Swedish colleagues.

The fires have since died down and firefighters from France, Germany and Portugal left Monday, at the same time as residents from a small town near the Arctic Circle who had been evacuated because of the wildfires were allowed to return home.

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11:20 a.m.

Britain's long, hot summer has taken its toll on the country's flowers.

Supermarket chain Morrisons has begun selling "wonky" flowers that have not developed properly because of the hot, dry weather. The chain is offering bouquets with shorter stems or smaller flowers at a reduced price.

The blooms join a range of misshapen produce sold by the retailer at discount rates, part of a program to reduce waste.

Drew Kirk, Morrisons' director for flowers, says "it would be a shame to see these beautiful stems go to waste just because they're a few centimeters too short."

The U.K.'s Met Office weather service says July was the country's third-warmest in more than a century, with the temperature passing 35 Celsius on July 26. The warm weather is continuing, with temperatures forecast to reach 30 degrees Celsius in southern Britain on Friday.

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10:25 a.m.

Portugal's weather agency says eight places in the center, south and east of the country have broken their local temperature records amid a heatwave.

The IPMA says the highest temperature recorded Thursday was 45.2 degrees Celsius (113.4 Fahrenheit) near Abrantes, a town 150 kilometers (93miles) northeast of the capital, Lisbon.

Temperatures in Portugal are forecast to keep building on Friday, to around 45 degrees, and peaking at 47 degrees in some places on Saturday.

Portugal's highest temperature ever recorded was 47.4 degrees (117.3 Fahrenheit) in 2003.

Meteorologists say temperatures are being driven higher by a hot air mass moving northward from Africa, which is also bringing dust from the Sahara Desert.

Emergency services have issued a red alert, placing extra services such as medical staff and firefighters on standby through Sunday.