The heat wave baking western Europe smashed records in the UK and France, as the region faces another day of disruptive temperatures.
The UK recorded its hottest June day on Wednesday, with daytime highs hitting 36.1C (97F) in Gosport in southern England, according to the Met Office. France’s average daily temperature reached an all-time high of 30C, eclipsing the record set on Tuesday, data from Météo-France show.
The intense heat wave is hitting Europe earlier than usual, underscoring how climate change is reshaping summers on the world’s fastest-warming continent. As the extreme heat strains health services, transport networks and power grids, meteorologists warn of above-normal temperatures for months to come.
France has been the epicenter of the heat wave for more than a week, with daytime highs reaching 43.8C in Palluau in the west on Wednesday.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said hundreds of air conditioners are being delivered to schools in the French capital. The heat is also becoming a critical issue for nursing homes, as not all rooms have air-conditioning, Zaynab Riet, executive director of the French Hospital Federation, told France Inter radio station on Thursday.
The heat wave, driven by a high-pressure heat dome and atmospheric shifts from a developing El Niño, has led to widespread public health warnings. A record 72 departments in France are under red heat alerts, with similar warnings in effect in the UK, Germany, and Switzerland.
Temperatures in Paris are forecast to reach 41C on Thursday, with 36C possible in London on Friday, according to government forecasters. Daytime highs in Frankfurt are set to top 40C on Friday, according to weather models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
The extreme heat is forecast to ease this weekend, but unusually warm temperatures are likely to linger through next week, according to weather models and analysis from Vaisala.
Photograph: High temperatures of 46 degrees Celsius (114.8ºF) in central Toulouse, France, on June 24, 2026; photo credit: Matthieu Rondel/Bloomberg
Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
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