An empty street in Toulouse, France, on June 22, 2026. France is experiencing its second heat wave of the year. MéteoFrance reports that this day is expected to be one of the hottest ever recorded.
Alain Pittón | Nurfoto | fake images
Several countries in Europe have issued red weather alerts as a new bout of extreme heat pushes temperatures beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), creating dangerous conditions across large swaths of the world's fastest-warming continent.
The UK Met Office on Monday issued a rare red extreme heat warning for Wednesday and Thursday, warning that the country's highest temperature recorded in June is “very likely” to be exceeded in the coming days.
The red alert applies to an exceptional spell of hot and humid weather, which carries the potential for adverse health effects for the entire population and means that substantial changes to daily routines will be required.
The UK meteorologist said the mercury could reach at least 39 degrees Celsius this week, while nighttime temperatures are unlikely to fall below 20 degrees Celsius on consecutive nights.
“Red warnings are reserved for the most severe events and we expect severe and significant impacts from this heatwave, with likely impacts on the health of many, even beyond those who are normally most vulnerable to the heat,” said Mark Sidaway, deputy chief forecaster at the Met Office.
Red heat alerts were also issued in France, Spain and Italy, along with similar warnings from authorities in Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
At least 18 people died in France, Reuters reported on Monday, and hundreds of schools were ordered closed as the country's meteorological agency, Méteo France, warned that a “prolonged and intense” heat wave episode was underway.
Temperatures in Bordeaux, in southwestern France, reached 42 degrees Celsius on Monday.
A worker drinks water from a plastic bottle at a construction site in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on June 22, 2026, as France experiences a fierce heat wave.
Christopher Archambault | afp | fake images
In a social media post, Méteo France said 54 regional administrative areas would be under a red heatwave warning on Tuesday, describing this as an “unprecedented number.”
Europe's heat wave is the second so-called heat dome in just two months and comes as scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas is the main driver of the climate crisis.
Europe is known to be warming faster than any other continent, at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
“Blindingly obvious”
Richard Allan, professor of climate science at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, said that while a heatwave is to be expected in June, temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius were unprecedented for the United Kingdom until 2022.
“While May brought record dry heat, this week we will see a more muggy heatwave which will make it difficult to stay cool and will be critical for those with underlying health conditions,” Allan said.
“It is absolutely obvious that heat waves will increase in intensity as rising greenhouse gases stifle the planet's ability to lose heat to space,” he continued.
“The increased thirst for water from a warmer atmosphere also means more rapidly occurring drought, but also the intensification of extreme precipitation and associated flooding as excess water drained from the soil and oceans is channeled into storms that can often be triggered by the summer heat.”
