Europe Braces for Another Heat Wave. Here’s What to Know.

Europe Braces for Another Heat Wave. Here’s What to Know.

 

High temperature warnings were in place across western, central and southern Europe on Sunday as a heat dome intensifies across the continent.

 

By Nazaneen Ghaffar

Nazaneen Ghaffar is a reporter on The Times’s weather team. She is based in London.

Aug. 9, 2026

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/weather/extreme-heat-wave-uk-france-spain-forecast.html

 

Another round of intense heat is expected to sweep across large swaths of Europe this week. Forecasters warned that rapidly rising temperatures, combined with persistently bone-dry conditions, could worsen a severe threat of wildfires.

 

The latest heat wave will be Europe’s fifth since May, as a broad area of high pressure — also known as a heat dome — intensifies across the continent. The most extreme heat is expected initially across parts of France, Spain and Italy before shifting toward Central Europe, where some of the highest temperatures are forecast across Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.

 

The European Forest Fire Information System forecasts that parts of southern Britain and northwestern France, along with a stretch of territory from the Alps to the Balkans, will remain under “very extreme” fire conditions — the highest category in its fire danger forecast — through at least Wednesday. Surrounding areas, including much of the Iberian Peninsula, central and southern France and parts of the western Balkans, are also facing extreme fire conditions through midweek.

 

The heat will coincide with a total solar eclipse that is expected to pass over parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain on Wednesday. Spain’s national weather service, AEMET, warned that the day will bring very high or extreme fire danger alongside intense heat.

 

How hot will it get?

Numerous high temperature warnings were in place across western, central and southern Europe on Sunday, with the highest, red-level warnings covering western and southern Italy and western Croatia.

 

In Italy, temperatures have been elevated since Thursday, when Italy’s Health Ministry placed all 27 cities monitored by its national heat surveillance system under red alert. The Italian Air Force Meteorological Service said heat wave conditions were expected to persist on Sunday, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Sardinia, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily. Those extreme temperatures are expected to continue across western, central and southern parts of Italy through the week.

 

Météo-France, the French weather service, said that Tuesday would mark the beginning of the new heat wave. Between Wednesday and Friday, temperatures are expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) across much of the country, while locally, temperatures could approach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The agency warned that the rising temperatures would further dry out already parched soils and increase the vulnerability of vegetation, raising the danger of wildfires.

 

In Spain, AEMET said temperatures during the heat wave were expected to widely exceed 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) across the country and could reach 42 degrees Celsius (nearly 108 degrees Fahrenheit) in the south of the country by Wednesday. While mostly clear or partly cloudy skies are expected that day, forecasters warned that the risk of wildfires will increase to very high or extreme levels by Wednesday.

 

Temperatures are also expected to climb to extreme levels in Britain. The U.K. Met Office, the country’s weather service, said temperatures were expected to begin rising from Tuesday and could reach 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of East Anglia and southeast England by Thursday. If that happens, it would be the fourth consecutive month in which temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher have been recorded.

 

Europe is heating up fast.

While the degree to which a single heat event is influenced by climate change requires specific attribution studies, scientists are certain that heat waves around the world are generally becoming hotter, more frequent and longer-lasting, and that Europe is warming faster than any other continent.

 

In 2025, almost the entire continent was hotter than normal. Researchers estimate that in recent years, Europe has seen tens of thousands of heat-related deaths annually.

 

Many homes, schools and businesses across Europe were built for an older, cooler climate. In Britain, many were even built to retain heat, making cooling off amid heat waves especially difficult. Air-conditioning is not a quick fix. In France, installing such systems has become a political flashpoint, while in Britain, high energy prices deter many.

 

Even in hotter Mediterranean cities — where old-fashioned courtyards, heavy shutters and white-stone facades can keep homes cool — many newer buildings have been constructed using techniques that trap heat.

 

Here’s how to cool off.

Staying cool and hydrating often are the two most important things to do to avoid feeling sick and discomfort in extreme heat. Here are some other ways to keep cool:

 

Block out the windows in your home — especially those that get afternoon sun — with a blanket or a darker sheet during the day to keep the heat out. At night, keep windows open and run fans to circulate the air.

 

Spritz your skin with a mist of cool or room-temperature water or wipe your forehead with a cool cloth. Cold showers can also help you cool down.

 

If you need to be outdoors, put ice cubes in your water bottle and drink cool liquids. If you plan to exercise, douse your head in cold water. Swimming is also a great way to exercise and keep cool.

 

When exploring or sightseeing, seek out cooler attractions such as museums, cathedrals or even subterranean exhibitions. Some cities have created public spaces to cool down: Barcelona has climate shelters and Paris has drinking fountains, for example. London has a Cool Spaces map to find spots.

 

Watch out for signs of heat stroke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists some of them as dizziness, a rapid pulse, nausea, headache and fainting. But symptoms can vary.

 

Nazaneen Ghaffar is a Times reporter on the Weather team.