UK and France prepare for another heat wave as western Europe sets new
temperature record
[August 11, 2026]
By STEFANIE DAZIO and SYLVIE CORBET
PARIS (AP) — The U.K. and France are bracing for the fifth heat wave of
the season, adding to an intense stretch of hot weather that has
repeatedly sent temperatures soaring across Europe since May.
National weather agency Météo-France is warning about temperatures
approaching 40 C (104 F) from Tuesday onward in southeastern France. And
in the U.K., an amber heat health alert for most of England will be in
place beginning Tuesday as temperatures are forecast to climb to 36 C
(96.8 F) later this week.
Across Europe, the extreme heat began in May and has contributed to
major wildfires, prolonged drought and new national temperature records,
as well as thousands of projected heat-related deaths.
Globally, so far this is the third-hottest year, behind 2024 and 2025,
climate statistics show. But 2026 still has time to catch up. Thanks to
the one-two punch of accelerated human-caused global warming and a
supersized El Nino — a periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that
leads to temperature variations around the globe — there’s an increasing
chance that by the end of the year, 2026 could become the hottest year
on record, scientists said.
Last month saw the highest average sea surface temperature ever recorded
for July across the extrapolar oceans, or the oceans free of seasonal
sea ice, according to the European climate agency Copernicus.
That was partially fueled by developing El Nino conditions in the
equatorial Pacific, the service said. The new average record for July is
20.96 degrees Celsius (69.73 degrees Fahrenheit), which beat the 2023
record of 20.89 C (69.60 F).
But last month’s average surface air temperature globally was 16.90 C
(62.42 F), making it only the joint second warmest July on record, tied
with July 2024, Copernicus reported.
Western Europe sets new record
In Western Europe, meanwhile, the average temperature record for the
June-July period hit 21.62 C (70.92 F), Copernicus said, toppling the
2022 record.
“Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, the
extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought. As soils dry
out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat
to build more readily,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for
climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
“This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat
extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”
In France alone, heat wave alerts were issued for the first time on
record in May, when more than half the country recorded new monthly
temperature highs. The heat intensified in June, a period during which
at least 5,700 more deaths than usual were recorded, according to
France’s public health agency.
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People walk over a stone dam, that is normally covered by water,
towards the "Maeuseturm" (mice tower) in the middle of the river
Rhine in Bingen, Germany Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael
Probst)
Météo-France said June 23 was the hottest day ever recorded in the
country. Temperatures climbed as high as 44.3 C (111.7 F) in the
southwest.
Two other heat wave episodes were recorded in July, amplifying a
historic wildfire in southwestern France that forced 220,000 people to
flee their homes in one of the continent’s biggest evacuation efforts
since World War II.
Spain battles wildfires
Temperatures were slightly cooler in the U.K. on Monday but the country
readied for its fifth heat wave in an exceptionally hot and dry summer,
with half of England and all of Wales plunged into drought.
Provisional data show that England and Wales have had their driest July
in records dating back to 1836, with 19 counties of England seeing no
rain for the entire month.
The heat alert warns that significant impacts on health services,
including a rise in deaths among older and vulnerable people, are
likely.
Two record-breaking heat waves in May and June led to more than 2,800
excess deaths linked to extreme temperatures.
An 18-year-old died after getting into difficulty in the sea at Camber
Sands beach in southern England on Sunday, the latest of dozens of
deaths recorded in open waters in recent months.
In Spain, firefighters were battling multiple blazes, including one that
broke out on Friday in Tírig, Valencia, that has burned more than 3
square miles (8 square kilometers) and has involved more than 300
personnel and 21 aircraft to combat it.
A separate wildfire in the southern Huelva region had affected a similar
sized area since it broke out on Thursday. While temperatures across
Spain remained high, some parts of the country were expecting
thunderstorms Monday afternoon that could bring strong gusts of wind.
___
Dazio reported from Berlin. Sylvia Hui in London and Suman Naishadham in
Madrid contributed to this report.
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