Europe swelters in early heatwave as records fall across region

Portugal’s central town of Mora reached 40.3C on Wednesday, setting a new national May high and pushing an already early heatwave into record territory across western Europe. The reading beat Portugal’s previous May mark of 40C, set in May 2001, and the country’s meteorological agency warned the hot conditions had a high likelihood of continuing into the beginning of June.

What is unfolding is not just a weather anomaly but a stress test for public systems. Forecasters linked the episode to a heat dome, with warm air from northern Africa trapped beneath a high-pressure system over western Europe, turning the first days of the season into a prolonged emergency for schools, hospitals, workers and transport networks. In France, students were taking exams in baking school buildings as the country logged its hottest May day in history. Officials there said seven people had died directly or indirectly from the heat.

Italy moved into its own emergency posture on Thursday, when the health ministry issued its first red heatwave alert of 2026 for Rome, Florence, Bologna, Brescia and Turin. The warning said the temperatures could have negative health effects even for healthy, active people, and urged residents to stay out of the sun. The alert underscored how quickly extreme heat is becoming a health issue for cities that usually do not face this level of risk so early in the year.

The temperature spike has not stopped at the Mediterranean. The United Kingdom also broke its May temperature record during the same episode, adding to the sense that the pressure system is stretching across much of the continent. Meteorologists have warned that the heat may persist into early June, lengthening the burden on emergency services and public infrastructure just as summer begins.

Scientists and the UN climate office have long said climate change is making heatwaves more frequent, more intense and more likely to arrive earlier in the season. This week’s record readings in Portugal, France and the UK, along with Italy’s red alerts, show what that warning looks like in practice: higher death risk, disrupted schooling and mounting strain on institutions built for a cooler past.