That's true, it does sound a little over the top. But as somebody who has experienced first-hand a European heatwave, I can honestly say at the time it really did feel like hell.

I am not a climatologist or a meteo guy, but I was lucky enough to be able to have a career break in my early 30's. Just for the heck of it I studied geography; my degree came with a heavy element of climate science. I think I retained a fascination with heatwaves - not necessarily the "mechanics" of it, but rather how people/societies live and adapt to them.