First heatwave threatens Europe, serious records could fall

(Patria) - A large part of Western Europe is facing the first significant heatwave of the year, with temperatures more than ten degrees above average and which could break records in hundreds of places.

According to forecasts, temperatures in Portugal, Spain, France, and Great Britain will exceed 30 degrees Celsius on Friday and in the coming days, with values up to 32 degrees in Paris and London, 35 in southwestern France, and even 38 in the Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys in Spain.

The French meteorological service Météo-France states that records for the highest temperature measured in May, 30.5 degrees from 2025, and the highest average daily temperature in May, 22.8 degrees from 2017, will be broken, writes The Guardian.

In cities like Nantes and Brest, values are expected to be three to four degrees above previous records.

The British Met Office has issued extraordinary health alerts due to the heat, forecasting that local temperatures could reach 33 degrees Celsius on Monday, which would break the record of 32.8 degrees from May 1944.

The heatwave is caused by a so-called heat dome, when hot air from Morocco is trapped under a strong anticyclone. Météo-France emphasizes that such events are becoming increasingly frequent and intense due to climate change, which is making Europe the fastest-warming continent.

In Spain, temperatures have already reached 38 degrees, and in Galicia, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl died after being left in a car in the heat.

The National Meteorological Service Aemet warns that the real summer heat will continue next week, with temperatures typical for July and August.