The UK Met Office has issued a Red Warning for Extreme Heat for Friday, June 26, 2026, marking the first time in the history of the current weather warnings system that red warnings have been issued for extreme heat for three consecutive days.
Spain’s public mortality-monitoring system (MoMo) estimated that high temperatures were linked to 212 deaths between June 21 and 24, as the country’s first official heat wave of 2026 brought temperatures near 40°C (104°F) and higher across large areas.
Extreme heat continued to spread across Europe on June 24, 2026, prompting widespread red alerts and health warnings across Europe. The prolonged heatwave driven by a strong upper-level ridge is affecting much of Western, Central, and Southern Europe, with temperatures forecast to remain 3 to 10°C (5.4 to 18°F) above seasonal averages and locally exceed 40°C (104°F) through the end of June.
Major to Extreme HeatRisk is forecast across large portions of the Southern Plains and Southeast on June 27–28, 2026, as hot and humid conditions expand across the southern United States. The dangerous heat is expected to persist into the week of June 29 across much of the Plains and Southeast while expanding into parts of the Mid-Atlantic.
At least 40 people have drowned in France since June 18, 2026, while seeking relief from an exceptional heatwave that has pushed temperatures to record levels across much of the country.
Multiple heat advisories were issued across portions of California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada on June 15, 2026. Temperatures are forecast to exceed 40°C (104°F) and could reach up to 44.4°C (112°F) in Trinity County, California.
Dangerous heat is expected across much of the central United States on June 9, 2026, with multiple National Weather Service offices warning that heat index values will reach 38 to 42°C (100 to 108°F) during the afternoon and evening. Heat Advisories remain in effect across Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, with the most dangerous conditions forecast across the Mid-South.
Major to Extreme HeatRisk conditions are forecast to develop across parts of the central United States this week as a strengthening heat dome expands over the region. National Weather Service offices have already issued Heat Advisories across portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Texas, where heat index values are forecast to reach 40 to 42°C (104 to 108°F).
Spain recorded 101 heat-related deaths during May 2026, making it the deadliest May since national monitoring began in 2015, while health authorities warned that heat extremes are arriving earlier in the year and increasing mortality risks across the country.
Portugal set a new national May temperature record on May 27, 2026, after Mora reached 40.3°C (104.5°F) during an early-season heatwave, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). The reading surpassed the previous May extreme of 40°C (104°F), recorded at Pinhão on May 30, 1953, and matched at Termas de Monfortinho on May 30 and 31, 2001.
