Yes, meteorologists forecast that another extreme heatwave will return to Western Europe starting this weekend, around July 5, 2026.

 

Heatwave coming back to western Europe?

Yes, meteorologists forecast that another extreme heatwave will return to Western Europe starting this weekend, around July 5, 2026.

While the intense "heat dome" that broke all-time records last week has temporarily shifted east into Central and Eastern Europe, weather models indicate a rapid return of dangerously high temperatures.

Expected Timing and Affected Areas

• The Return Date: Temperatures are projected to spike again starting Sunday, July 5, 2026.
• Regions Impacted: The upcoming secondary wave will target the same primary zones hit by the June crisis: France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and parts of the United Kingdom.
• Interim Relief: For the next few days (early July), Western Europe will experience a brief respite with more average summer temperatures while the current high-pressure system pummels countries like Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia.

What is Driving the Heat?

The extreme weather is being caused by a persistent atmospheric pattern known as an Omega block. This pattern distorts the jet stream, locking a massive ridge of high pressure (a heat dome) over the continent while trapping hot air moving up from North Africa.

Climate scientists from groups like World Weather Attribution (WWA) note that the baseline frequency of these events has accelerated dramatically, making severe, back-to-back heatwaves the new normal for the European summer.

Summary of Last Week's Record-Breaking Wave

To contextualize the danger of the incoming system, the June 2026 wave that just passed was labeled the most severe ever recorded for that time of year in Europe:

• France: Hit an all-time record national average temperature of 30°C on June 24, with local peaks reaching 44.3°C in the southwest.
• United Kingdom: Broke June temperature records for three consecutive days, peaking provisionally at 36.4°C.
• Infrastructure & Health: The previous week's heat resulted in over 1,300 excess deaths continent-wide, caused severe train cancellations due to buckling tracks, and forced French nuclear plants to curb power output.

Local authorities across France, Spain, and Germany are advising residents and travelers to check regional meteorological updates and prepare cooling strategies ahead of the weekend