A blistering early-season heat wave has pushed parts of Europe into dangerous and record-breaking territory, with extreme temperatures arriving weeks before the continent typically sees its hottest weather.
The heat has already been linked to deaths, water shortages, wildfires and warnings from scientists that the event is another stark example of how climate change is reshaping normal weather patterns.
France has been among the countries hit hardest. Its national weather service, Météo-France, described the conditions as “unprecedented” for this time of year, with Monday becoming the country’s hottest May day ever recorded. Temperatures were breaking May records across the country, with readings climbing above 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) in many areas and expected to continue throughout the week.
There have been “seven deaths directly or indirectly linked to the heat, including at least five from drowning, as well as deaths related to extreme heat during sports events,” stated Maud Bregeon, a French government spokesperson, according to CNN.
On Sunday, a 53-year-old man died while taking part in a running event in Paris, while a woman died during a Hyrox sports event in Lyon, the Associated Press reported.
Le Parisien reported that the Paris runner suffered a heart attack during the race in the city’s 20th arrondissement and could not be revived by firefighters. Temperatures in Paris reached around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) that afternoon.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether those deaths were caused by the heat. But France’s Minister of Sports, Marina Ferrari, appeared to connect the incidents to the extreme temperatures, saying the deaths were “a stark reminder that practicing sports in extreme heat requires absolute vigilance.” Ferrari also posted condolences online to the runner’s loved ones and said her thoughts were with others who had been treated by emergency services.
At the French Open in Paris, the heat was also felt on the court and in the stands, with players competing in stifling conditions as spectators tried to cool down under misting sprays.
The United Kingdom has also seen extraordinary temperatures. On Monday, the country recorded its hottest May day on record, with temperatures reaching 94.6 degrees Fahrenheit (34.8 degrees Celsius) at Kew Gardens in London. The reading broke the previous May record by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2 degrees Celsius. The previous record, 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit (32.8 degrees Celsius), was set in 1922 and matched again in 1944.
The same reading also provisionally marked the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK during meteorological spring, which runs from March through May.
That record did not last long. On Tuesday, temperatures rose further to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius). By comparison, the average high temperature in London in late May is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius).
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Across the UK, average May highs are closer to 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius), underscoring how far outside normal spring conditions the heat has been.
The heat also offered little relief overnight. The UK experienced a “tropical night,” meaning temperatures did not drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius).
While these numbers may seem moderate compared with those in hotter parts of the world, they can be deeply uncomfortable and dangerous in the UK. Most homes are not designed to withstand intense heat, and only about 5% have air conditioning. A report released last week by the UK’s Climate Change Committee warned that the country was “built for a climate that no longer exists.”
The timing has also raised concerns for schools, which are currently on midterm break. If the heat continues, some schools may have to consider measures such as relaxing uniform rules or moving exams into cooler rooms.
The UK Health Security Agency also issued its first amber heat-health alert of the year, warning that deaths could rise, especially among older people, during the hottest parts of the day. The agency said the second-highest alert level could bring significant strain across health and social care services. People with chronic conditions, including hypertension and kidney disease, are considered especially vulnerable during extreme heat.
As temperatures surged on Monday, a wildfire broke out near Arthur’s Seat, a hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. In southeast England, hundreds of properties were left without water after a spike in demand.
Across the UK, residents and tourists sought relief in parks, on beaches, and anywhere they could find shade as the heat coincided with a holiday.
Climate change is making it more likely that May temperature records will be broken, Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson, told CNN.
“While we do occasionally have warm spells in May, what we’re seeing now is unprecedented. What was around a 1-in-100-year event is now around a 1-in-33-year event.”
The same heat system is affecting much of Western Europe, where temperatures this week are running 18 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 15 degrees Celsius) above normal.
Spain is also seeing “extraordinarily high temperatures for the time of year,” according to the country’s weather agency, AEMET. In southern Spain, temperatures are forecast to climb to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in the latter half of the week.
In Valladolid, outdoor tables that would typically be full sat largely empty as people avoided the sun, while Madrid residents braced for weather that felt more like midsummer than late spring.
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Behind the extreme heat is a powerful heat dome sitting over the continent. A heat dome is a long-lasting high-pressure system that acts like a lid on a pot, trapping hot air and pushing it downward. These systems can linger for days or weeks, intensifying heat and making it harder for cooler air to move in.
Scientists say these kinds of events are becoming more frequent and intense due to human-caused climate change. The burning of fossil fuels releases planet-heating gases that wrap around the Earth, raising global temperatures and supercharging heat waves.
Richard Betts, head of climate impacts research at the Met Office and a professor at the University of Exeter, told BBC News today’s heat waves are landing on top of an already hotter baseline.
“When we have a heatwave, it’s happening more severely, because it’s on top of a warming climate. I’ve been a climate scientist for 33 years, and we’re seeing exactly the kinds of things that we were warning back then… [although] these records are perhaps more extreme and coming sooner than we had expected.”
Heat is one of the clearest signals of the climate crisis, and Europe is warming faster than any other continent on the planet.
“We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that heat wave events such as this have been made more likely and more severe due to climate change,” said Peter Thorne, director of ICARUS Climate Research Centre at Maynooth University, Ireland. “But nevertheless, many of the records being set, particularly in the UK and France, are mind-bogglingly crazy,” he added.
The danger is not hypothetical. During 2024, the hottest year ever recorded globally, more than 62,000 people in Europe died from heat-related causes.
Parts of Asia have also been enduring dangerous temperatures, with daytime readings above 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) across central and northern India in recent weeks. In Pakistan, temperatures were forecast to remain up to 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) above seasonal averages.
Scientists are warning that even more extreme heat is likely in the years and decades ahead. The emerging El Niño, a natural climate pattern that can push global temperatures higher than usual, could make 2026 and 2027 even hotter.
Experts say the broader pattern is part of a new level of weather volatility, with deadly extremes increasingly occurring at unusual times of year and in places not accustomed to them.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
