Earlier this year, I visited family in France. I arrived in Paris just on time for a record heatwave. Temperatures that hot had never been seen before in France during the month of May. It was not restricted to France, either, because it was also the hottest month of May that the United Kingdom had ever recorded.
This CNN article by Laura Paddison about that heat wave in May first focused on Great Britain before transitioning to the rest of the European continent. Here is a snippet which largely tells the story:
The UK isn’t the only place suffering. Much of Western Europe is facing temperatures 10 to 15 degrees Celsius (18 to 27 Fahrenheit) above normal this week.
It went beyond Britain and France, for that matter:
Spain is also experiencing “extraordinarily high temperatures for the time of year,” according to its weather service AEMET, with temperatures in the south forecast to reach up to 40 degrees (104 Fahrenheit) in in the latter half of the week.
Now, I did not go to either Great Britain or Spain on that trip. But I can tell you that while in France (particularly in Paris and in Burgundy), it was very hot. Uncomfortably hot, in ways that Europeans still have not gotten used to, although it seems like they will have to get used to it now, since this is happening more regularly.
Case in point, that heat wave was in May. But there is yet another one here now, just in time for the summer solstice, the official switch from spring to summer. Western Europe is, once again, experiencing still another massive, record-breaking heat wave, just weeks after the last one ended.
Here we go again. Yet another incredible, record-breaking heatwave is being experienced all across western Europe. This is why it is happening, according to another article on this latest heatwave by Marko Korosec of Global Weather (see link below):
It will trap a stagnant layer of scorching-hot Saharan air and trigger an early-season heatwave of above-normal intensity from the Iberian Peninsula to the capitals of Western Europe.
The problem is that these heatwaves perpetuate more heatwaves, as they create conditions that make any kind of real cooling more difficult. Again, according to the same article:
The soil in many regions remains exceptionally dry from a record-breaking hot spell Europe experienced in late May, which strips away the Earth’s natural ability to cool itself through evaporation. This will allow surface temperatures to skyrocket even faster through the remainder of June.
How hot is it supposed to get?
Again, I am using a snippet from this same article to illustrate:
The temperature forecast numbers are flashing red, with Portugal and Spain bracing for temperatures that could reach 45 °C (113 °F), while cities like Paris are facing extended, multi-day stretches in the upper 30s to low 40s, roughly 10 to 15 °C above seasonal averages.
For Americans unfamiliar with Celsius temperatures,, trust me when I say that temperatures in the upper 30's and lower 40's is uncomfortably hot. Keep in mind that Europeans traditionally had much milder conditions and temperatures during the summertime. London and Paris have similar weather, and they are not known for extreme heat.
There have also been heat advisories throughout the western and even central portions of Europe, including Germany and Czechia.
Just a few years ago, we saw some horrifying images of highways literally catching fire in southwestern France and Spain. Also, I remember being appalled at seeing one major river in France, the Loire, largely having dried up, with only patches of water here and there. France normally, traditionally receives a lot of rain, and again, is known for cooler temperatures. That is true of much of Europe more generally. So this is forcing them to try and adapt to stunning extremes as apparently the "new normal," as it were.
I would highly recommend taking a look at the Global Weather site as well as the one from DW (see links to both below), as they get into some details about how these heatwaves work, and why they have grown both so extreme as well as so persistent in Europe in recent years.
Is climate change still just a Chinese hoax, like Trump suggests?
If so, I have to say that they are getting really, really good at it. Very convincing. Seeing stories like these, not just in Europe but in other parts of the world at other times, like in the American Southwest, or the Arabian peninsula, or Australia, or through much of Asia and even in Arctic regions in recent years, you might almost get the impression that climate change is indeed real.
Thank goodness we have a president known as a science expert and also known to always stick to the truth in all matters, and who is also richly funded by big polluters, to assure us that all of this is not actually happening. Otherwise, we might really have to worry about the new reality that climate change is forcing us to get used to now, wouldn't you agree?
Below are the links to the articles which I used in writing this particular blog entry, and from which I obtained all of the quotes and specific information used above:
Scorching Heat for the Summer Solstice: The Dangerous Longevity of Europe’s New June Heatwave by Marko Korosec Posted onPublished: 17/06/2026 CategoriesGlobal weather
https://www.severe-weather.eu/global-weather/heat-dome-europe-heatwave-june-summer-2026-forecast-mk/
Scorching Heat for the Summer Solstice: The Dangerous Longevity of Europe’s New June Heatwave
Why Europe is getting so hot by Martin Kuebler May 28, 2026:
Europe is sweltering under extreme heat that has broken records and claimed lives. Why is the continent heating so fast?
https://www.dw.com/en/why-europe-is-getting-so-hot/a-77320871
‘Mind-bogglingly crazy’: Europe’s deadly, early heatwave is smashing records by Laura Paddison Updated May 26, 2026:
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/26/climate/europe-heat-climate-intl
‘Mind-bogglingly crazy’: Europe’s deadly, early heatwave is smashing records | CNN
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