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Europe Records Second Heat Dome in Two Months as Temperatures Exceed 104 Degrees
Europe faces its second heat dome in two months as temperatures exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit across multiple countries. France closed over 800 schools and restricted alcohol sales while the UK and Spain prepare for record heat.
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Europe is experiencing its second heat dome in two months as of June 2026, Cnn reported, with temperatures exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of the continent. Heat alerts were issued Monday by 26 countries from Ireland to Greece. France placed more than half of its 96 regions under red heat-wave alerts Sunday.
The government banned public alcohol consumption at the Fête de la musique festival in affected regions and ordered the closure of more than 800 schools. The Prime Minister’s office stated that state-organized events would not offer alcohol. Temperatures are forecast to rise above 107 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas Monday, which Météo France said could be the country’s hottest day on record for any month.
Météo France described the episode as exceptional on a national scale with severity that could approach the August 2003 heat wave, which killed nearly 15,000 people. In the United Kingdom, temperatures are forecast to reach at least 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit Wednesday, well above the June record of 96.08 degrees Fahrenheit set in 1976, according to the UK Met Office.
Liz Bentley, chief executive at the Royal Meteorological Society, stated that the UK has experienced two consecutive months in which temperature records have been broken by well over 2 degrees Celsius.
Akshay Deoras, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, stated that a heat-dome driven furnace will grip most of southern UK. On the Almería coast in southeastern Spain, nighttime temperatures Sunday into Monday did not drop below 86 degrees Fahrenheit, AEMET reported. A World Cup fan zone in Madrid was closed Sunday due to the heat.
AEMET stated that Monday would be extremely hot again with significant danger in much of the country. Only about 20 percent of European homes have air conditioning compared with approximately 90 percent in the United States. Extreme temperatures have killed more than 200,000 people over the past four years, according to the World Health Organization.
