A high-pressure “heat dome” over Western Europe is trapping hot air like a Dutch oven, driving May records to extremes. London broke its all-time May high again for the second day, while parts of France and Spain topped 37°C and 38°C. Climate scientist Frieder
On May 26, 2026, a woman fanned herself at Victoria Station in London as the heat pressed in. The day brought another milestone: the record for the hottest day for May in the U.K. was broken for the second day in a row.
Temperatures reached around 95 degrees Fahrenheit (about 35 degrees Celsius) in London. Across Western Europe, the numbers climbed again and again—parts of France hit about 99 degrees F (about 37 degrees C), and Spain saw temperatures surpass 100 degrees F (about 38 degrees C).
The mechanism behind the blistering conditions is a “heat dome” hanging over Western Europe. It’s essentially a blob of high-pressure air that traps hot air like a Dutch oven, preventing the atmosphere from moving normally. Climate change is helping nudge that hot air toward more extreme outcomes.
“This record-breaking heat has the fingerprints of climate change all over it,” said Friederike Otto, a professor of climate science at Imperial College London, in a statement. She added that “temperatures on this scale were once exceptional even at the height of summer.”
A new study released on Tuesday by ClimaMeter—an organization based in France that performs real-time climate attribution research—found that the ongoing heat wave is likely “exacerbated” by climate change. The heat conditions leading up to this week’s event were as high as 4.5 degrees F (2.5 degrees C) above historical temperatures. the study said. That extra warmth, it concluded, helped contribute to the high pressure blocking atmospheric mixing, cloud formation and rainfall. With clouds and rainfall shut off, the sun’s rays can “continuously warm” the land across much of Western Europe.
The consequences are already visible in official reports. In France, officials said the high temperatures have reportedly been linked to seven deaths. Early heat waves can be especially dangerous because the human body has had little time to adapt to heat after cooler winter months.
Otto. who was not involved in the study. put it plainly: “Temperature records will continue to tumble until we fundamentally halt global emissions and reach net zero.” She said the climate people are living in today is “simply not the one we grew up with. ” and that buildings and infrastructure are “woefully unprepared for what’s next.”.
Back over the next pages of summer. the physics are cruelly consistent: high pressure keeps the air locked in place. rainfall doesn’t come. clouds don’t form. and the ground keeps absorbing and reradiating heat. For now, Western Europe remains under the same stubborn lid—while temperatures keep testing what records can still break.
heat dome Western Europe heat wave temperature records London May record France deaths Spain temperatures climate change attribution Friederike Otto ClimaMeter high-pressure system