Europe is baking under an unusual early-season blast of heat, with forecasters warning of exceptional temperatures as a “heat dome” sends readings soaring far beyond what’s typical for late May.
The spike comes after a record-setting Monday: France registered its hottest day in May since records began, according to its national weather agency, while the UK also reported unprecedented highs.
Meteorologists say the culprit is a “heat dome” — hot air streaming north from Africa and held in place by a stubborn high-pressure system over western Europe — creating conditions more common in mid-summer than spring.
The impacts are already visible across the region. Parts of Italy introduced limits on outdoor work, beaches in southwest France filled earlier than usual, and farmers reported harvests speeding up as temperatures climbed past 30C.
Scientists have repeatedly linked the rising frequency and intensity of heatwaves to human-driven climate change, noting that Europe is warming faster than the global average.
The French prime minister is to hold a meeting over government preparations for the heatwave
In Spain, temperatures were forecast to crest later this week at 38C, while Italian authorities moved to curb outdoor labour during the hottest hours.
Hottest May day on record in UK
The UK has broken its record for the hottest May day again, with provisional figures reaching 35C in London, the Met Office said.
That reading overtook Monday’s provisional record for the warmest meteorological spring temperature of 34.8C, recorded at Kew Gardens in southwest London.
Lindy Brand-Daloze, a 66-year-old Australian who has lived in London for 12 years, said the heat felt like part of a bigger pattern. “It’s warm, but it’s climate change, isn’t it? So, you know, (we have) probably got to get used to this,” she said.
Researchers say climate change caused by human activity is intensifying extremes such as heatwaves, droughts and floods, making new records more likely to fall.
Posting on X, the Met Office said yesterday: “Today is now the hottest day in May on record with Heathrow and Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 35.0C.
“Until yesterday the highest temperature in May was 32.8C, but we’ve now exceeded that record on consecutive days by a full two degrees Celsius.”
The new highs arrived alongside health alerts and thunderstorm warnings across the country, and followed a series of open-water fatalities over recent days.
Police in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire and Devon and Cornwall attended separate fatal incidents involving four teenagers and a man in his 60s.
Britain’s rail network has also been affected. As temperatures climbed, Network Rail introduced speed restrictions on some tracks to reduce the risk of heat-related disruption and keep services safe.
Paris had its first day above 30C this year on Saturday as temperatures hit 31.9C
Police said four teenagers have drowned in lakes in England since Sunday during the heatwave.
The deaths occurred over a long weekend that included a public holiday, as many sought relief in open water during the hottest days.
In Lincolnshire in northeast England, officers said a 15-year-old boy drowned on Sunday.
The boy’s father, named as Declan Sawyer, urged other families to recognise the risks of children “playing near any rivers and lakes in the hot weather”.
A teenage girl was pronounced dead after being pulled from the water on Monday evening at a water park in Warwickshire in central England, police said.
In Yorkshire in the northeast, police said one boy drowned in a reservoir, and the body of a 13-year-old boy was recovered early today at a country park.
Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told AFP that the rise in extreme temperatures was “a good indication of climate change in action” and increasingly likely to become “the new norm”.
Climate advisers last week warned the UK government that the country was “built for a climate that no longer exists”, calling for adaptation measures for infrastructure such as schools and hospitals as the planet warms.
In 2022, the UK exceeded 40C for the first time since records began.
Record May temperature at Shannon Airport, Co Clare
In Ireland, Met Éireann data showed a record May temperature of 28.6C at Shannon Airport in Co Clare.
In Scotland, a grass fire broke out near Arthur’s Seat hill close to Edinburgh, with smoke drifting over the city as temperatures rose to 25C, according to firefighters and the BBC.
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Heatwave alert
France posted a new national record high for May yesterday, Meteo France said — just one day after the country had already set a fresh benchmark for the month.
Provisional readings showed the national heat index — the countrywide average temperature — reached 24.8C at 4pm Irish time, beating Monday’s 24.6C record.
Meteo-France said parts of the country could see highs of 33C to 36C, and warned the hot spell was expected to persist at least through the end of the week.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is to convene a meeting with key ministers to review government readiness for the heatwave.
Paris recorded its first 30C-plus day of the year on Saturday, when temperatures reached 31.9C.
Civil defence services said a man died on Sunday during a 10km running race in Paris. Authorities also said 10 others were taken to hospital in critical condition after a race in the Paris suburb of Maisons-Alfort.
The heat also made conditions tougher for spectators at Roland-Garros in Paris.
Outdoor work restricted
Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warned that “extraordinarily high temperatures for this time of year” will hold across the country all week, with the exception of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of Africa.
From today, Aemet also forecast “widespread tropical nights” in southwestern Spain, with daytime temperatures expected to peak through Friday at 36C to 38C, it said on X.
In Italy, the Lazio region — home to Rome — approved restrictions on work involving “prolonged exposure in the sun” from 12.30pm to 4pm.
The rules cover sectors including agriculture, construction and logistics, and remain in force until 15 September.
Similar restrictions were introduced last year, though they only began on 30 May.
Read more: Temperatures forecast to hit 30C in some parts, says Met Éireann
