UK and France brace for fifth heat wave as Europe's climate toll deepens

The UK and France are bracing for another intense heat wave this week. The fresh warnings underline how climate change is worsening Europe's deadly cycle of heat, drought and wildfires.Stock photo used for illustrationThe UK and France are preparing for the fifth heat wave of the season, extending an intense spell of hot weather that has repeatedly pushed temperatures higher across Europe since May. In France, the national weather agency Meteo-France has warned that temperatures in the south-east could approach 40°C from Tuesday.In the UK, an amber heat health alert for most of England will come into effect from Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 36°C later this week. Across Europe, the extreme heat has contributed to major wildfires, prolonged drought, new national temperature records and thousands of projected heat-related deaths.Climate data shows 2026 is so far the third hottest year, behind 2024 and 2025, but scientists said it could still become the hottest year on record by the end of the year because of accelerated human-caused global warming and a supersized El Nino, a periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that affects temperatures around the world. The European climate agency Copernicus said last month recorded the highest average sea surface temperature ever for July across the extrapolar oceans, at 20.96°C, beating the 2023 record of 20.89°C. It said this was partly driven by developing El Nino conditions in the equatorial Pacific. At the same time, the global average surface air temperature last month was 16.90°C, making it the joint second warmest July on record, tied with July 2024. In Western Europe, the average temperature for June and July reached a record 21.62°C, surpassing the 2022 record."Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought. As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. "This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another." In France, heat wave alerts were issued in May for the first time on record, when more than half the country recorded new monthly temperature highs. The heat intensified in June, when France's public health agency recorded at least 5,700 more deaths than usual. Meteo-France said June 23 was the hottest day ever recorded in the country, with temperatures rising to 44.3°C in the south-west. Two more heat wave episodes followed in July, adding to a historic wildfire in south-western France that forced 220,000 people to leave their homes in one of Europe's biggest evacuation efforts since World War II.Temperatures in the UK were slightly lower on Monday, but the country was preparing for its fifth heat wave during an exceptionally hot and dry summer, with half of England and all of Wales in drought. The heat alert warned of significant pressure on health services, including a likely rise in deaths among older and vulnerable people. Two record-breaking heat waves in May and June led to more than 2,800 excess deaths linked to extreme temperatures. The latest warnings in the UK and France add to a summer in which repeated heat waves, drought and wildfires have affected large parts of Europe, while climate data points to another year of exceptional global heat.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 10, 2026 17:12 IST