It’s Too Hot In Europe–Again
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- As temperatures hit a sweltering 36 degrees in some regions of the United Kingdom, schools canceled classes and train delays abounded.
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June 24, 2026 Share This Article Republish People walk through Place du Trocadéro during the second major heat wave of the year in Paris on June 18. Credit: Jerome Gilles/Nur Photo via Getty Images Related An Unusually Early Heat Wave Breaks Temperature Records Across Western Europe How Forests Start to Fail, One Leaf at a Time A Warmer Climate Means Bigger Hail Share This Article Republish Most Popular Trump Administration Abandons Fight Against Wind Energy as Clean Energy Output Surges As Global Warming Threatens Corals Worldwide, Woods Hole Scientists Search for ‘Super Reefs’ That Can Take the Heat Federal Regulators Tell Electric Grid Operators to Fix Their Rules on Data Centers Europe is in the midst of its second big heat wave of the year, and it’s breaking more records. France just recorded its hottest day ever, with temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius in some places. Around 40 people have drowned in local water bodies, likely attempting to escape the heat, and thousands more are without electricity.
As temperatures hit a sweltering 36 degrees in some regions of the United Kingdom, schools canceled classes and train delays abounded. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described London as “cooking.” As the city hosts its annual Climate Action Week, the U.K. meteorological service has issued a red alert for multiple regions, signalling that exceptionally hot and humid weather is forecasted and likely to impact the general public. Switzerland and Spain have also issued warnings to residents.
Emma Howard Boyd, the former chair of the London Climate Resilience Review who now chairs the National Heat Risk Commission in the U.K., said that when it comes to heat resilience in the country, the problem is not just homes—which are usually not air-conditioned.