A heatwave scorching western Europe sent temperatures soaring to record highs in a number of Swiss towns and cities Tuesday, including international hub Geneva, where the mercury hit 39.7 degrees Celsius.

That easily beat the previous heat record set in Geneva in 1921 of 38.9 degrees Celsius (102.0 degrees Fahrenheit), metrologists said.

The sweltering city on the shores of Lake Geneva, which is home to the United Nations' European headquarters, can also now claim the record for the highest temperature ever registered in Switzerland north of the Alps.

The village of Grono in the canton of Graubunden to the south of the towering mountain range however still holds the record for the highest temperature ever measured in the wealthy Alpine country, with the 41.5 degrees Celsius registered there in 2003.

Meteorologists meanwhile warned that most of Switzerland could face violent thunderstorms later Tuesday in what was expected to bring an end to the heatwave roasting much of the country for the past week.