Starting in late May 2026, several severe heatwaves affected Europe. Temperature records were broken in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The first heatwave began on 24 May, with temperatures higher than normal and several heat-related deaths. Temperatures were the highest ever recorded for May, with climate change causing the earlier onset of Central Europe's summer. Western Europe was the most affected area, with reports of record-breaking temperatures in France, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Other countries with unusually high temperatures were Portugal, at 40 °C (104 °F), and Spain, with temperatures in the southwest reaching 39 °C (102 °F).
A second, more severe heatwave began on 17 June, just days before the summer solstice. In France, Météo-France declared 23 June the country's hottest day since measurements began in 1947, with temperatures reaching 44.3 °C (111.7 °F) in Pissos, 42.1 °C (107.8 °F) in Bordeaux, and a June record of 40.9 °C (105.6 °F) in Paris. In the United Kingdom, temperatures peaked at 38.0 °C (100.4 °F). On 26 June, the World Meteorological Organization said the heatwave was expected to affect many areas of Western Europe, Central Europe , and Southern Europe over the following two weeks, with the focus of the heat likely to shift towards the Balkans. By 5 July, over 5,600 excess deaths were reported. Analysis by World Weather Attribution concluded it was the most severe heatwave ever recorded over the region studied, and that it was "virtually impossible" to explain its greater intensity relative to the 1976 Britain & Ireland heatwave without accounting for climate change in Europe.
A third heatwave in the United Kingdom began on 4 July. The UK Health Security Agency implemented many heat-health alerts across England. The first areas of England officially met heatwave conditions during the morning of 6 July as temperatures in parts of south-eastern England exceeded 28 °C (82 °F) for the third consecutive day; temperatures peaked at 34.0 °C (93.2 °F) in Teddington. Temperatures peaked at 35.5 °C (95.9 °F) in Wisley, Surrey on 9 July, which the Met Office reported was the eighth day above 34 °C (93.2 °F) in 2026, marking a new UK record for the most days exceeding that temperature in a single year. The length of this heatwave has led to 'extreme' marine heatwaves, affecting the southern North Sea and parts of the English Channel, which could have potentially negative impacts on marine life.
The heat also caused many forest fires across Europe. The heatwaves have also caused widespread drought across Europe.
The Elbe, Rhine and Danube experience a severe drought and a record shallowness in the Balkans on 10 August.
Concerns were raised over rivers becoming too hot and shallow for atomic power stations to use in future years.
Public discussion focused on climate change adaptation, net-zero emissions goals, and the role of air conditioning in Europe, where the technology is used much less than in both China and the US.
Starting in late May 2026, several severe heatwaves affected Europe. Temperature records were broken in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The first heatwave began on 24 May, with temperatures higher than normal and several heat-related deaths. Temperatures were the highest ever recorded for May, with climate change causing the earlier onset of Central Europe's summer. Western Europe was the most affected area, with reports of record-breaking temperatures in France, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Other countries with unusually high temperatures were Portugal, at 40 °C (104 °F), and Spain, with temperatures in the southwest reaching 39 °C (102 °F).
A second, more severe heatwave began on 17 June, just days before the summer solstice. In France, Météo-France declared 23 June the country's hottest day since measurements began in 1947, with temperatures reaching 44.3 °C (111.7 °F) in Pissos, 42.1 °C (107.8 °F) in Bordeaux, and a June record of 40.9 °C (105.6 °F) in Paris. In the United Kingdom, temperatures peaked at 38.0 °C (100.4 °F). On 26 June, the World Meteorological Organization said the heatwave was expected to affect many areas of Western Europe, Central Europe , and Southern Europe over the following two weeks, with the focus of the heat likely to shift towards the Balkans. By 5 July, over 5,600 excess deaths were reported. Analysis by World Weather Attribution concluded it was the most severe heatwave ever recorded over the region studied, and that it was "virtually impossible" to explain its greater intensity relative to the 1976 Britain & Ireland heatwave without accounting for climate change in Europe.
A third heatwave in the United Kingdom began on 4 July. The UK Health Security Agency implemented many heat-health alerts across England. The first areas of England officially met heatwave conditions during the morning of 6 July as temperatures in parts of south-eastern England exceeded 28 °C (82 °F) for the third consecutive day; temperatures peaked at 34.0 °C (93.2 °F) in Teddington. Temperatures peaked at 35.5 °C (95.9 °F) in Wisley, Surrey on 9 July, which the Met Office reported was the eighth day above 34 °C (93.2 °F) in 2026, marking a new UK record for the most days exceeding that temperature in a single year. The length of this heatwave has led to 'extreme' marine heatwaves, affecting the southern North Sea and parts of the English Channel, which could have potentially negative impacts on marine life.
The heat also caused many forest fires across Europe. The heatwaves have also caused widespread drought across Europe.
The Elbe, Rhine and Danube experience a severe drought and a record shallowness in the Balkans on 10 August.
Concerns were raised over rivers becoming too hot and shallow for atomic power stations to use in future years.
Public discussion focused on climate change adaptation, net-zero emissions goals, and the role of air conditioning in Europe, where the technology is used much less than in both China and the US.
By country
Albania
Temperatures in Albania hovered between 35–40 °C (95–104 °F) on 23 June. The Ministry of Health put out a heat warning on 24 June. Berat and Gjirokastër reached 40 °C (104 °F), but the national average fell to 39 °C (102 °F) on 6 July.
Andorra
Civil Protection issued a temperature related yellow alert on 18 July, due to forecasted temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F) and 33 °C (91 °F).
The May 23rd-29th caused several temperatures over 30 °C (86 °F). Civil Protection issued a temperature related alert.
In May, new temperature records were set at 46 GeoSphere Austria stations. Of those, Lienz had the highest temperature, recording 33.3 °C (91.9 °F) on 26 May. The city also had a record eight hot days in May, each with a temperature of at least 30 °C (86 °F), beating the previous record of three set in 2001. Bregenz and Eisenstadt had also set the new record for the highest number of hot days in May. Additionally, May had significantly below-average rainfall, with some regions being between half and two-thirds below the 1991–2020 average. May was also the fifth sunniest on record.
On 18 June, GeoSphere Austria announced that a heatwave was imminent, with highs between 30 and 36 °C (86 and 97 °F) expected to persist through the end of the month. On 20 June, temperatures reached 35 °C (95 °F) at five GeoSphere Austria stations and a temperature of 36.0 °C (96.8 °F) was recorded in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, marking the first time the value had been reached in Austria in 2026. On 21 June, GeoSphere Austria recorded a temperature of at least 35.0 °C (95.0 °F) at 18 stations in its network, which included a temperature of 36.6 °C (97.9 °F) in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg and a temperature of 36.1 °C (97.0 °F) at a further two stations.
On 24 June, GeoSphere Austria announced that temperatures were expected to exceed 35 °C (95 °F) in all state capitals and reach 39 °C (102 °F) in Vienna on both 27 and 28 June. As a result, the highest heat warning would be in effect for much of northeastern Austria, including Vienna, as well as for the southern cities of Graz, Klagenfurt and Villach, whilst the second-highest heat warning would be in effect for other parts of the country. The Austrian Grand Prix, a Formula One race taking place at the Red Bull Ring on 28 June, was declared a heat hazard by the FIA as temperatures at the circuit were expected to reach 36 °C (97 °F) during the race.
On 27 June, a temperature of 39.3 °C (102.7 °F) was measured in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, breaking a previous national June temperature record that was set in 2013, when a temperature of 38.6 °C (101.5 °F) was measured in Waidhofen an der Ybbs. The same day, new June temperature records were set in six out of nine states of Austria, with the previous national June temperature record also surpassed in Vienna and Innsbruck, where temperatures reached 38.8 °C (101.8 °F) and 38.7 °C (101.7 °F), respectively. A temperature of 38.2 °C (100.8 °F) was measured in Bad Goisern, whilst Eisenstadt reached 37.9 °C (100.2 °F).
On 28 June, temperatures exceeded 39 °C (102 °F) at several stations in Lower Austria and Vienna, as June temperature records were broken nationwide at 102 of 251 stations that have been active for more than 15 years. That day, a temperature of 40.0 °C (104.0 °F) was measured in the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, which set a new June temperature record for Austria and marked the first time the value had been reached in the capital since records began. Outside Vienna, a temperature of 39.9 °C (103.8 °F) was measured in the Langenlebarn area of Tulln, Innsbruck reached 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) for the second consecutive day, Linz was one of three places in Upper Austria where a temperature of 38.2 °C (100.8 °F) was measured, alongside Enns and Wels, and the same temperature was recorded in Eisenstadt, the state capital of Burgenland.
On 29 June, it was reported that nighttime temperatures did not drop below 20 °C (68 °F) at 90 of 280 stations nationwide and a station in the Ottakring district of Vienna did not register temperatures below 27.3 °C (81.1 °F), which set a new June record for the highest nighttime temperature since the beginning of record-keeping in Austria. The same day, highs in excess of 38 °C (100 °F) were recorded at several stations, with a temperature of 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) measured in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, which surpassed the national June temperature record set in Vienna the day before and marked the first time since the beginning of record-keeping that a temperature in excess of 40 °C (104 °F) had been measured in Austria on two days.
The heatwave lasted 14 days and ended on 1 July, with severe thunderstorms affecting parts of northeastern Austria that day. During the heatwave, which was the longest to affect Austria in June, new local temperature records were set at 60 of 251 stations that have been active for more than 15 years, whilst an additional 88 of the 251 stations set new June temperature records for their respective locations. At the state level, June temperature records were broken in all Austrian states except Carinthia. Historically, this June was more than 2.5 °C (4.5 °F) warmer than the 1991–2020 average for Austria and the fifth-warmest on record.
July and August
On 29 July, a new heatwave began in Austria, the second of the year nationwide. In western and southern Austria, the heatwave was the third of the year, after an early heatwave that began on 24 May and lasted between five and nine days. It was initially expected to reach its peak on 31 July and, similarly to the June heatwave, be most intense in the lowlands of eastern Austria, where temperatures were predicted to reach between 38 and 40 °C (100 and 104 °F). Drought was felt in various regions of the country and there was a heightened risk of wildfires associated with it, with such conditions mainly resulting from the fact that, as of 27 July, the amount of precipitation since December 2025 was approximately 30 percent lower than the average needed to prevent drought. As of 29 July, there were just three of 2,114 municipalities in Austria that did not experience at least one day with a temperature of 30 °C (86 °F) or higher, with several municipalities experiencing more than 30 such "heat days" in 2026.
On 31 July, GeoSphere Austria measured a temperature of 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) in Wieselburg in Lower Austria, which set a new national record for the highest July temperature, surpassing a 1983 record of 39.7 °C (103.5 °F) in Dellach im Drautal in Carinthia. It also set a new July temperature record for the state of Lower Austria for the first time since 1957, when a temperature of 39.4 °C (102.9 °F) was measured in Horn. At the state level, July temperature records were also broken in Vienna and Upper Austria, as temperatures exceeded 39 °C (102 °F) at several GeoSphere Austria stations. Preliminary data suggested that at least 30 of these stations set a new yearly record.
On 3 August, GeoSphere Austria measured a temperature of 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) in the Stammersdorf area of Vienna, marking the second time the value had been reached in the capital in 2026 and setting a new temperature record for the location. The service measured temperatures in excess of 38 °C (100 °F) at several of its stations in northeastern Austria, including a temperature of 40.0 °C (104.0 °F) in the Langenlebarn area of Tulln, with Eisenstadt and St. Pölten both reaching 38.8 °C (101.8 °F) as the highest temperature for a state capital outside Vienna.
On 4 August, a temperature of 41.0 °C (105.8 °F) was measured at the aforementioned station in the Stammersdorf area of Vienna, which broke a 2013 record of 40.5 °C (104.9 °F) in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg for the highest temperature measured in Austria since records began. It was one of nine GeoSphere Austria stations to measure a temperature in excess of 40 °C (104 °F) that day. The record lasted just one day, as the service measured a temperature of 41.2 °C (106.2 °F) at its station in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg on 5 August. It was among five stations in its network to register a temperature in excess of 40 °C (104 °F) that day. Also among the five stations was the one in the Stammersdorf area of Vienna, which measured a temperature of 41.0 °C (105.8 °F) for the second consecutive day.
On 10 August, water levels along the Danube in Austria were reported to be significantly lower than typical, leading to the cancellation of around 30 percent of all Austrian cruises along the river. Water levels in the Danube measured at a station in Hainburg an der Donau were the lowest since the station began operations in 1976, with the lowest values for both July and August being significantly lower than those recorded both during the 2003 European heatwave and on multiple occasions during autumn and winter, when water levels in the Danube in Austria typically reach their yearly lows. As a result of the drought that had intensified after the June heatwave and persisted into August, farmers warned of a significantly reduced harvest. In late July, the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture expected a decrease of 15 to 20 percent in the grain harvest compared to the previous year and one of the worst harvests in the last 10 years. In mid-August, estimates by AgrarMarkt Austria suggested a decrease of 19 percent in the grain harvest for 2026 compared to 2025. On 11 August, it was reported that the climate data since 1961, available to GeoSphere Austria, indicated the longest and most consistent yearly deficits in precipitation for eastern Austria in the last 65 years.
On 13 August, it was reported that there were approximately 270 forest fires in Austria in 2026, representing an increase of almost 50 percent compared to the previous year and burning approximately five times more area than during an average year, as researchers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) warned of forest fires becoming more common in Austria in the coming years due to climate change. At the time, a forest fire near Wiener Neustadt required several days of firefighting efforts to be extinguished.
On 16 August, temperatures in excess of 36 °C (97 °F) were still being recorded at several stations in northeastern Austria, including Vienna, as the heatwave that had begun on 29 July was expected to end with the arrival of a cold front the following day.
On 30 August, it was reported that several stations in the GeoSphere Austria network had recorded temperatures in excess of 30 °C (86 °F) on more than 50 days in 2026. At the time, the service's station in Ferlach had recorded such temperatures on 59 days in 2026, followed by Bad Deutsch-Altenburg with 58 "heat days" during the year. Both stations surpassed a 2024 record of 57 such days in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg. The summer of 2026 marked the first time since the beginning of record-keeping that a temperature of 40 °C (104 °F) had been measured in Austria during each of the three summer months (June, July and August).
Belarus
The air temperature in the south of Belarus was predicted to reach between 30 °C (86 °F) and 31 °C (88 °F) on 14 July. Belhydromet predicted heavy thunderstorms and issued a yellow alert in response.
For the first time in history, the temperature in Belarus rose above 40 °C (104 °F). This historical maximum was reported in the town of Pinsk, with a recorded temperature of 40.4 °C (104.7 °F) between 2:00 pm to 2:20 pm on 29 June, as reported by the Republican Centre for Hydrometeorology, Control of Radioactive Contamination and Environmental Monitoring.
On 6 August, the air temperature rose above 40 °C (104 °F) for the second time in the country's history in the town of Mazyr, where the temperature reached 40.3 °C (104.5 °F).