Western Europe is in the grip of a deadly, record-setting heatwave that has killed dozens of people, closed schools, slowed trains, knocked out electricity and forced farmers to harvest grain at night.
In France, which yesterday recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, authorities sought to restore electricity to thousands of homes hit by power cuts related to the extreme weather in the northwestern region of Brittany.
Healthcare centres and critical sites were being prioritised in the effort, with generators provided to tide over retirement homes after outages were blamed on a transformer incident.
“The incident was accidental and related to the current heatwave,” officials said in a statement. “No one was injured.”
Italy’s health ministry issued its highest heat alert for 16 cities, from Florence and Milan, to Rome, Turin and Verona.
In Britain, on course for its hottest June day ever, the Met Office weather service issued only the second extreme-heat weather warning in history. Hundreds of schools stayed shut or closed early, as high temperatures could place even healthy people at risk.
The peak temperature of this heatwave could break the current UK record from four years ago
At least 48 people have died in France from drowning as they attempted to seek respite from the crippling heat, while two young children were killed by heat in a car, authorities said.
Two elderly people died of heatstroke in Spain, which has experienced extreme temperatures since the weekend exceeding 40C, though temperatures there are starting to ease.
A rare weather pattern known as an Omega block was causing the record-breaking temperatures across Europe, as high as 18C above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.
The phenomenon resembles the shape of the Greek letter Omega, with a bulbous middle trapping in intensifying heat hovering over regions for extended periods, with cooler weather on its fringes.
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Gasping and sweating
Weather agency Meteo-France has said the conditions are comparable to a heatwave in August 2003 that lasted 16 days and caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across Europe.
Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has said, which makes prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.
In Paris, where the annual Fashion Week was under way, onlookers could be seen gasping and sweating during the Louis Vuitton show as male models showed off creations by pop and rap artist Pharrell Williams. Labels including Dior and Rick Owens changed their schedules to hold shows in the morning, organisers said.
The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum shut early on Tuesday. In Switzerland, local authorities opened air-conditioned theatres for free daytime cinema screenings.
A deadly heatwave has disrupted daily life in Paris
Construction contractors across the continent altered working hours so employees could avoid the worst of the heat, while retailers struggled to meet demand for fans and portable air-conditioners.
A French agriculture cooperative said farmers were introducing night shifts for harvesting to protect workers from afternoon heat and fields from fire risk.
Temperatures could hit 40C today and tomorrow in some parts of England and Wales. A red weather warning for extreme heat covering an area stretching from London to Swansea, and Somerset to Birmingham, was issued by the UK Met Office from 9am today until 9pm tomorrow.
During the peak of the heatwave on these two days, the temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C, which was measured in Lincolnshire in July 2022.
The latest heatwave is also expected to surpass the record for June of 35.6C set in Hampshire in 1976.
Britain’s train operators have advised only essential journeys as the heat has brought speed restrictions.
A commuter uses a fan in an attempt to cool down as she exits a tube carriage in London
In Italy, conditions were expected to worsen further, especially across central and northern regions, with the heatwave likely to peak between Sunday and Monday, meteorologists said.
Temperatures could reach 41C between Tuscany and Emilia, while in coastal areas such as Liguria the combination of heat and extreme humidity could drive perceived temperatures as high as 45C.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Europe’s leaders must invest in making their health services more climate-resilient.
“The data are clear: temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme heat in the future,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of WHO, via X.
“We cannot afford further delay. Leaders must prioritise investment in climate-resilient health systems, while also accelerating climate action and mitigating the drivers of the climate crisis.”
The hottest days in France, based on the national temperature index, up to June 23, 2026, a record-breaking day
Meanwhile, Met Éireann has said the current spell of high temperatures should peak tomorrow, with the potential for the all-time record to be broken.
A Status Yellow high temperature warning is in place until 9am on Friday for all of Ireland.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Met Éireann’s Ailís Hankinson said there will be plenty of sunshine after a cloudy start today.
“We will see temperatures today getting up to 28 degrees, but really it’s tomorrow then where we’ll see the peak of the heat,” she said.
Additional reporting PA