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.
France recorded its hottest May day since records began on May 26, 2026, while temperatures climbed to 37.8 °C in southwestern parts of the country on May 28. Multiple stations across France set new all-time May temperature records this week as a prolonged heat dome pushed daytime temperatures into the upper 30s°C (upper 90s°F) and kept nighttime temperatures unusually high across much of the country.
Seven deaths were linked to exceptionally high temperatures in France after the country recorded its hottest May day since national observations began, with a national average temperature of 24.4°C (75.9°F) on May 25, 2026.
A historic heatwave intensified across the UK on May 25, with 13 locations provisionally breaking the country’s all-time May temperature record. Kew Gardens reached 34.8°C (94.6°F), surpassing the previous record of 32.8°C (91.0°F), while temperatures above 30°C (86°F) expanded across large parts of England. Forecasts show the heat persisting into May 26, with London potentially reaching 35°C (95°F).
The United Kingdom could record its hottest May day in Met Office records on Monday, May 25, with highs forecast to reach 35°C (95°F). Unusually warm overnight conditions have already set a provisional national daily minimum-temperature record for the month of May.
At least 52 all-time high temperature records were broken across France on August 11, 2025, with more than 175 weather stations exceeding 40°C (104°F), as a persistent heat dome intensified extreme heat across southwestern Europe.
At least eight people have died across Spain, France, and Italy as an early-summer heatwave swept across Europe in late June and early July 2025, breaking temperature records and prompting red alerts and emergency responses.
Temperatures above 40 °C (104 °F) led to the closure of over 1 350 schools in France and work restrictions across 13 Italian regions between June 30 and July 2, 2025, as a persistent heat dome caused red-level alerts and severe public health risks across southern Europe.
Southern and eastern Europe have endured a prolonged heatwave since early July, with temperatures forecast to remain high for at least another two weeks. The most intense heat was felt across the Balkan Peninsula and eastern Europe, where daily temperatures exceeded 40 °C (104 °F) in many areas. The Mediterranean Sea has also seen unprecedented warmth, with water temperatures reaching 30 °C (86 °F) in some areas.
Large swaths of Europe experienced an early-season heatwave over the weekend, with temperatures more than 40 to 43 °C (104 – 110 °F) and numerous daily, monthly and all-time records broken. As those records were falling, a sharp temperature contrast first observed in the UK and NW Germany, fueled severe thunderstorms which are forecast to impact an area from France to Serbia on June 20 and 21.
