European heat dome scorches the UK, France and Spain

Europe is sweltering under an unusually early blast of heat, with forecasters warning that a powerful “heat dome” is driving temperatures far beyond what is typical for this point in the year.

The surge came after a record-setting Monday, when France registered its hottest May day ever recorded, according to the national weather agency, while the UK also hit unprecedented highs.

Meteorologists say the spike is being fuelled by a mass of hot air from northern Africa, trapped beneath a high-pressure system over western Europe — a pattern known as a “heat dome” — bringing temperatures more commonly associated with the height of summer.

Across the region, the effects were immediate: parts of Italy moved to curb outdoor work, beaches in southwest France filled well ahead of the usual season and farmers said the heat was speeding up harvests as temperatures climbed above 30C.

The French prime minister is due to convene ministers as authorities brace for the heatwave

Spain was forecast to see temperatures rise further later this week, reaching 38C, while parts of Italy introduced limits on working outside.

Hottest May day ever recorded in UK

The UK record for the hottest day in May has been broken yet again, with provisional temperatures reaching 35C in London, according to the Met Office.

That figure exceeded Monday’s provisional record for the warmest meteorological spring day ever logged — 34.8C at Kew Gardens in southwest London.

Lindy Brand-Daloze, a 66-year-old Australian who has lived in London for 12 years, said: “It’s warm, but it’s climate change, isn’t it? So, you know, (we have) probably got to get used to this.”

Scientists have long warned that human-caused climate change is intensifying extreme weather — including heatwaves, droughts and floods — and helping drive temperature records to fall more often.

In a post on X, the Met Office said yesterday: “Today is now the hottest day in May on record with Heathrow and Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 35.0C.

“Until yesterday the highest temperature in May was 32.8C, but we’ve now exceeded that record on consecutive days by a full two degrees Celsius.”

The heat has arrived alongside health alerts and thunderstorm warnings around the country, as well as a string of open-water deaths over recent days.

Police in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire and Devon and Cornwall all responded to separate fatal incidents involving four teenagers and a man in his 60s.

Rail passengers across Britain are also facing disruption as temperatures soar, with Network Rail imposing speed restrictions on parts of the network to protect services and infrastructure.

Paris recorded its first day above 30C this year on Saturday, when temperatures reached 31.9C

Police said four teenagers have drowned in lakes in England since Sunday during the heatwave.

The school-age children died over a long weekend that included a public holiday, as temperatures climbed sharply.

In Lincolnshire, in northeast England, police said a 15-year-old boy drowned on Sunday.

The boy’s father, who named him as Declan Sawyer, warned other families about the danger of children “playing near any rivers and lakes in the hot weather”.

In Warwickshire, in central England, a teenage girl was pronounced dead after being pulled from the water on Monday evening at a water park, police said.

In Yorkshire, in the northeast, one boy drowned in a reservoir, while the body of a 13-year-old boy was recovered early today at a country park, police said.

Greg Dewhurst, a meteorologist with the Met Office, told AFP that the rise in extreme temperatures was “a good indication of climate change in action” and said such conditions were increasingly likely to become “the new norm”.

Last week, climate advisers warned the UK government that the country was “built for a climate that no longer exists” and urged ministers to adapt infrastructure such as schools and hospitals for a warming world.

In 2022, UK temperatures topped 40C for the first time since records began.

Record May temperature at Shannon Airport, Co Clare

Met Éireann data showed that Shannon Airport in Co Clare recorded a May temperature record of 28.6C.

Near Arthur’s Seat hill in Edinburgh, a grass fire broke out and sent smoke drifting across the city, where temperatures rose to 25C, according to firefighters and the BBC.

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Heatwave alert

France set a fresh national record for the month of May yesterday, Meteo France said, only a day after another unprecedented reading for the time of year.

According to provisional Meteo France figures at 4pm Irish time, the national heat index — which measures the average temperature across the country — reached 24.8C, edging past Monday’s 24.6C, which had already marked a record.

Meteo-France said highs of between 33C and 36C were expected in some regions and warned the hot spell was likely to continue at least through the end of the week.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is to meet key ministers to review the government’s preparations for the heatwave.

Paris recorded its first temperature above 30C of the year on Saturday, hitting 31.9C.

On Sunday, civil defence services said a man died during a 10km race in Paris, while authorities said 10 others were taken to hospital in critical condition after a race in the suburb of Maisons-Alfort.

The intense heat also took a toll on spectators attending Roland-Garros in Paris.

Outdoor work restricted

In Spain, the State Meteorological Agency, Aemet, warned that “extraordinarily high temperatures for this time of year” would persist across the country throughout the week, with the exception of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa.

It said on X that “widespread tropical nights” were also expected in southwestern Spain from today, with temperatures forecast to peak between 36C and 38C until Friday.

Further east, authorities in Italy’s Lazio region, which includes Rome, approved rules restricting work in conditions involving “prolonged exposure in the sun” between 12.30pm and 4pm.

The restrictions cover sectors including agriculture, construction and logistics, and will remain in force until 15 September.

Comparable rules were introduced last year, but only from 30 May.

Read more: Met Éireann says temperatures could reach 30C in some areas