Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, Ireland, France and Spain
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A pedestrian shelters from the sun on Westminster Bridge in London, on May 25, with temperatures hitting 34.8 deg C in the British capital.
PHOTO: EPA
LONDON - Forecasters in Europe warned on May 26 of exceptional heat as record temperatures driven by a “heat dome” push temperatures well above seasonal norms across the continent.
The surge follows a record-breaking May 25, with France logging its hottest day in the month of May on record, according to its weather agency. Britain also posted unprecedented highs.
A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over Western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer.
Restrictions on outdoor work were imposed in parts of Italy, beaches in south-west France filled earlier than usual, and farmers reported accelerated harvests as temperatures went beyond 30 deg C across the region.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is amplifying such extremes, with Europe warming faster than the global average and heatwaves growing more frequent and severe. Temperatures in Spain were expected to peak later this week at 38 deg C.
In Britain, the Met Office weather agency said it was the hottest day in May on record, with temperatures hitting 34.8 deg C at Kew Gardens, south-west London – a full two degrees above the previous high.
“This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone May,” it said on X.
Said 10-year-old Liza Nizari on a visit to London, where temperatures normally average about 17 deg C or 18 deg C at this time of year: “The weather here, it’s like a mini version of hell. It’s boiling. It’s like really hot.”
The Met Office forecast a drop later in the week.
Ms Lindy Brand-Daloze, a 66-year-old Australian administrator who has been living in London for 12 years, said: “It’s warm, but it’s climate change, isn’t it? So, you know, (we have) probably got to get used to this.”
Scientists say human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events like heatwaves, droughts and floods more intense, resulting in temperature records being broken more frequently.
Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told AFP the increase in extreme temperatures was “a good indication of climate change in action” and more likely to become “the new norm”.
Climate advisers last week warned the British government that the country was “built for a climate that no longer exists”, and urged it to adapt infrastructure like schools and hospitals for a warming planet.
In 2022, temperatures in Britain soared above 40 deg C for the first time since records began.
A grass fire broke out near Arthur’s Seat hill near Edinburgh, sending smoke over the Scottish city that saw temperatures climbing to 25 deg C, according to firefighters and the BBC.
In Ireland, a record May temperature of 28.8 deg C was recorded at two weather stations: Killarney in the south-west and Clonmel in the south, Met Eireann data showed.
Heatwave alert
Across the Channel, weather agency Meteo-France said that for France as a whole, “Monday was the hottest day recorded for the month of May since measurements began”.
Paris on May 23 notched up its first temperature above 30 deg C of the year, hitting 31.9 deg C.
PHOTO: AFP
It said highs of 33 deg C to 36 deg C in regions were expected, adding that the spell was likely to last at least until the end of the week.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was to hold a meeting May 28 with key ministers to go over government preparations for the heatwave.
The capital, Paris, on May 23 notched up its first temperature above 30 deg C of the year, hitting 31.9 deg C.
On May 24, a man died during a 10km running race in Paris, civil defence services said, while 10 others had to be taken to hospital in critical condition after a race in the capital’s suburb of Maisons-Alfort, the authorities said.
The sweltering heat on May 25 melted tennis fans at Roland-Garros in Paris.
Outdoor work restricted
In Spain, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warned that the “extraordinarily high temperatures for this time of year” will continue across the country all week, except in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, off the north-west coast of Africa.
“Widespread tropical nights” are also forecast in south-western Spain from May 27, with temperatures peaking from May 27 to May 29 at between 36 deg C and 38 deg C, it wrote on X.
Farther east, Italy’s Lazio region, which includes Rome, on May 25 approved rules limiting work in conditions “with prolonged exposure in the sun” between 12.30pm and 4pm.
The measures apply, for example, to farms, construction sites and in the logistics sector until Sept 15.
Similar rules had been put in place in 2025 but only from May 30. AFP
