Western Europe sweltered under a heat dome in late May 2026 as temperature records tumbled in the United Kingdom, France and Portugal, with the UK twice breaking its May high in consecutive days. National meteorological services reported the UK’s new record at 35.1 degrees Celsius in London while France experienced its hottest May day and at least seven heat-related deaths were recorded.
The Emirates News Agency detailed how the heat dome trapped warm air over the region from around May 21, producing anomalies more than 10 degrees Celsius above average in western France, England and Wales according to Copernicus Climate Change Service data. Britain’s Met Office reported that the record of 35.1 degrees Celsius at Kew Gardens on May 26 surpassed the previous day’s 34.8 degrees Celsius and the 1922 benchmark of 32.8 degrees Celsius by a significant margin. The agency noted this marked the earliest date on which temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius had been recorded in the country while London Underground readings climbed to 34.3 degrees Celsius and heightened health alerts were issued across the capital.
Météo France stated that the country logged its hottest May day on record with a national average of 24.9 degrees Celsius on May 26 and local peaks reaching 37.8 degrees Celsius in Angoulême. The French weather service indicated that nighttime temperatures remained above 20 degrees Celsius in many areas allowing little relief from the heat. At least seven heat-related deaths including five drownings occurred in France as people sought to cool off in waterways authorities reported.
Portugal’s national weather institute recorded a new May high of 40.3 degrees Celsius in the central town of Mora exceeding the previous record of 40 degrees Celsius set in 2001 according to compiled meteorological data. Similar May records fell in Ireland and parts of Spain and Germany during the same period. The Copernicus Climate Change Service assessment found that climate change has increased the probability of such early-season extremes across Europe.
A Yale Climate Connections review placed the prior UK May record at 32.8 degrees Celsius set in 1922 and matched in 1944 noting that the new readings exceeded it by more than two degrees Celsius. The UK also saw at least 15 water-related deaths amid efforts to escape the heat according to official tallies. French authorities separately documented a surge in emergency calls related to heat stress during the week-long event.
The Met Office has tracked a series of warming trends showing that Europe is heating at nearly twice the global average rate according to aligned World Meteorological Organization figures. Copernicus data further indicated that May 2026 ranked as only the seventh warmest May overall for Europe despite the late-month spike because of cooler conditions earlier in the period. Additional analysis of the full impacts on agriculture energy demand and public health is expected in coming weeks from national statistical offices.
