An IF2 tornado damaged at least 18 structures, including 11 residential buildings, near the village of Balcarzowice in Opole Voivodeship, Poland, on May 30, 2026. Two homes were completely destroyed.
A new study found that 335 million ha (828 million ha) burned worldwide in 2025, the second-lowest global wildfire total since 2002 and 16% below the long-term average. Despite that, 2025 became the costliest year on record for insured wildfire losses globally, with more than 300 000 evacuations and over 90 fatalities linked to major fires in Canada, the United States, Europe, and South Korea.
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.
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.
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.
Severe thunderstorms continued across parts of northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and the western Balkans on Monday, May 11, 2026. ESTOFEX forecasters warn the severe weather corridor is expected to shift east on Tuesday, with Level 2 risk areas extending from southeastern Romania through Bulgaria into northeastern Greece and northwestern Turkey. Large hail, localized heavy rainfall, and severe wind gusts remain the primary hazards.
One of the strongest wind episodes on record in Zagreb, and the most intense in the modern Zagreb-Maksimir measurement record, struck the Croatian capital on March 27, 2026, with gusts exceeding 120 km/h (75 mph), causing widespread damage, major transport disruption, and multiple injuries, including two serious cases reported by authorities.
Thick Saharan dust from North Africa covered parts of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and neighboring countries on March 4, 2026, producing hazy skies, orange deposits, and moderate-to-poor air quality. Forecasts show the plume spreading toward central Europe before dispersing after March 6.
Storm Nils brought heavy rainfall, destructive winds, and significant flooding to parts of France and Spain between February 10 and 16, 2026, leaving three people dead and cutting power to nearly 1 million households.
