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It’s Still Spring in Europe, but the Heat Is Already Breaking Records
Authorities in Britain and France warned that “unprecedented” temperatures — at a time when few expected them — could persist. Climate change has made heat waves more frequent and more intense.
Lynsey Chutel and Nazaneen Ghaffar
Reporting from London
Lines of Londoners outside public pools and ponds. Water mists dousing tennis spectators at the French Open. Commuters packed in stifling public transportation.
And summer hasn’t even started.
Several countries in Western Europe baked under record-breaking heat this week, far earlier than normal, prompting governments to warn about health risks. Heat waves in Europe have become more frequent and more severe in recent years, and scientists have repeatedly attributed that to a rise in global temperatures, driven mainly by the burning of coal, oil and gas.
One study by climate scientists on Tuesday concluded that the extraordinary temperature spikes “are primarily attributed to human driven climate change.”
Where the forecast temperatures for Monday were unusually hot
Degrees above or below average for June 1
Sources: University of Maine Climate Change Institute and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System
Notes: Forecasts are for 8 p.m. Eastern on May 31, 2026, to 8 p.m. on June 1, 2026. Averages based on data from 1979 to 2000.
By Lazaro Gamio and Zach Levitt
In France, seven people died in circumstances linked to the heat wave since Saturday, officials said. In Britain, three teenagers drowned in separate incidents, the police said. The unseasonable temperatures came after an abnormally hot 2025 in Europe.
Britain
Temperatures recorded on Monday at Kew Gardens in Greater London climbed to 34.8 degrees Celsius, or nearly 95 degrees Fahrenheit, provisionally setting a record for the highest May temperature and the highest temperature ever recorded during meteorological springtime, which covers March to May.
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