Tourists in Prague's Old Town Square got a slight reprieve from the scorching heat on Tuesday when a city worker parked a sprinkler truck in the public plaza and sprayed water into the air.

The city dispatches the trucks on the hottest days of the year.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute issued a warning concerning the unusually high temperatures forecast to hit the capital and the rest of the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.

While Tuesday saw 34 Celsius, temperatures were expected to soar to 37 Celsius on Wednesday.

Meteorologists said the heatwave was due to hot air blowing into Europe from North Africa.