Western Europe swelters under extreme heatwave, with records forecast in Germany and UK as climate link confirmed

Climate link

The human-caused climate change is significantly amplifying the current heatwave across France, Germany and other parts of Western Europe, according to researchers from the Climameter project.

The weather pattern behind this heatwave is not exceptional. What is exceptional is that climate change has added up to 4 degrees Celsius to temperatures in parts of Western Europe.

The project, funded by the EU and the French CNRS, warns that societies and ecosystems are approaching the limits of what they can adapt to.

Temperature records within reach

Germany's weather service (DWD) expects highs of 32 to 39°C across most of the country on Wednesday, with 27 to 34°C in the north. The June temperature record could fall on Friday, when western and southwestern regions may reach 40 or even 41°C. The current June record stands at 39.6°C, measured on 30 June 2019 in Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt. In the UK, the Met Office has forecast up to 39°C in London and southern England for Wednesday and Thursday, while France already experienced its hottest day and night since measurements began on Tuesday, with Pissos on the Atlantic coast hitting 44.3°C.

1. Jun 23, 2026France records hottest day and night since measurements began; Pissos reaches 44.3°C.
2. Jun 24, 2026UK Met Office issues red extreme heat warning; schools close in parts of UK; Germany expects highest UV index of the year.
3. Jun 25, 2026UK heat peaks, with London possibly hitting 39°C; Italy extends red alert to 17 cities.
4. Jun 26, 2026Germany could break June temperature record, with forecasts of up to 40-41°C in the west.
5. Jun 29, 2026Slight cooling possible in northwestern Germany, but widespread heat continues.

Health risks and UV hazard

Germany's Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) expects the highest UV index values of the year on Wednesday and Thursday: up to 8 in the north, 9 in central areas, and 10 in the south, reaching 11 ("extreme") in high mountains. Sunburns during childhood increase the risk of UV-related skin and eye diseases later in life, the BfS warned. The relentless heat has also led to multiple drowning deaths across Germany as people seek relief in lakes and rivers: a 14-year-old died in Gelsenkirchen, three men drowned in the Rhine near Biblis, and other fatalities occurred near Munich and in Baden-Württemberg.

North Germany

8

Central Germany

9

South Germany

10

High mountains

11

North Germany

8 UV index

Central Germany

9 UV index

South Germany

10 UV index

High mountains

11 UV index

Infrastructure under strain

Excessive use of air conditioning caused power outages in Milan and Turin, while a doctors' association complained about poorly functioning or broken AC units in seven state hospitals in Rome. In Germany, water utilities in Kiel reported a daily consumption high of 62.88 million litres, the highest since August 2020, and several regions urged residents not to fill pools or water lawns. Rising river temperatures on the Rhine and Mosel have triggered the first warning level in Rhineland-Palatinate, with the Rhine in Mainz expected to reach a daily mean of 27°C, threatening oxygen levels and the ecological balance. In the UK, multiple rail companies cancelled or reduced services, including a direct link to Gatwick Airport, and advised against non-essential travel.

Outlook

The heatwave shows no sign of abating this week.

Real relief from the heat is not in sight. This already record-threatening and increasingly extreme heatwave will therefore last at least the whole week.

Nighttime temperatures in western German urban areas may not fall below 24 or 25°C, which Dietzsch called "fully tropical and likely record-threatening conditions, and without air conditioning actually already unbearable". A slight cooling might reach northwestern Germany early next week, but temperatures elsewhere are expected to remain above 30°C.