Europe is experiencing another spell of exceptional heat, with temperature records falling across central and eastern parts of the continent as persistent high pressure traps hot air close to the surface. Austria recorded 41.2°C, Slovakia reached 42.2°C and Hungary climbed to 41.8°C, exceeding a temperature record that had stood since 1905. The prolonged heat is also worsening drought, increasing wildfire risks and placing pressure on water-dependent infrastructure and energy production.
Why are temperatures soaring across Europe?
The latest heatwave has been driven by a persistent area of high pressure over central and eastern Europe. Meteorologists describe the resulting pattern as a heat dome, in which hot air becomes trapped close to the ground and remains in place for an extended period.
The effect has been particularly pronounced across Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Slovakia recorded 42.2°C, while Austria reached 41.2°C. Hungary’s temperature of 41.8°C broke a national record dating back to 1905. In some locations, temperatures also remained above 28°C overnight, producing exceptionally warm tropical nights.
The persistence of high pressure matters because it limits the arrival of cooler air and rainfall. As the heat continues, soils lose moisture and vegetation becomes increasingly dry, creating conditions in which fires can spread more rapidly.
The latest episode follows an already exceptionally hot European summer. Western Europe’s average temperature for June and July reached 21.62°C, according to the Copernicus climate service, surpassing the previous record set in 2022.
Which countries have been most affected by the extreme heat?
Central and eastern Europe have been at the centre of the latest temperature surge, but the wider continent is also facing significant heat-related disruption.
Austria, Slovakia and Hungary have recorded particularly high temperatures, while Italy, France, Serbia and Bulgaria have faced wildfires amid increasingly dry conditions. The combination of heat and depleted soil moisture has raised concerns about further fire activity if dry weather persists.
Western Europe is also preparing for another period of intense heat. France’s weather service has warned that temperatures could approach 40°C in the south-east from Tuesday, while an amber heat-health alert covering much of England is due to begin as temperatures rise towards 36°C later in the week.
The United Kingdom has already experienced an unusually dry summer. Provisional figures indicate that England and Wales recorded their driest July since records began in 1836, with 19 English counties receiving no rainfall during the entire month.
How is the heat affecting drought and water supplies?
The consequences extend well beyond daily temperatures. Europe’s rivers are also showing the effects of prolonged heat and limited rainfall.
The Danube has fallen to an all-time low in some sections, exposing parts of the riverbed and revealing archaeological and wartime remains. The unusually low water levels are also creating practical difficulties for industries that depend on rivers for transportation and cooling.
The Rhine has similarly been affected by low water levels, with photographs showing stranded boats and exposed sections of riverbed in Germany. Such conditions can disrupt inland shipping and add pressure to supply chains because lower water levels reduce the amount of cargo vessels can safely carry.
The water shortage is particularly significant for energy infrastructure. Low river levels have reduced the efficiency of nuclear power facilities in Slovakia and Serbia, while Hungary was forced to shut down a plant because there was insufficient water available for cooling.
Why are wildfires becoming a growing concern?
Hot and dry conditions are creating an increasingly favourable environment for wildfires across parts of Europe.
In Spain, firefighters have been battling several major blazes. One fire in Tírig, Valencia, had burned about 8 square kilometres and involved more than 300 personnel and 21 aircraft. Another wildfire in the Huelva region affected a similarly large area.
France, Italy, Serbia and Bulgaria have also experienced significant fires during the broader period of extreme heat. Dry vegetation can ignite more easily, while strong winds can cause flames to spread quickly and make containment more difficult.
The pattern is especially concerning because heatwaves and drought can reinforce one another. Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said persistent high-pressure systems had trapped heat over western Europe while extreme temperatures had intensified drought. She said dry soils lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily.
What does the extreme heat mean for public health?
Extreme heat is a significant public-health risk, particularly when high daytime temperatures are followed by unusually warm nights.
The body relies on cooler overnight conditions to recover from daytime heat. When temperatures remain elevated after sunset, vulnerable people can face greater risks of heat stress, dehydration and other heat-related complications.
France has already recorded a major health impact during the summer’s earlier heatwaves. Public health authorities reported at least 5,700 more deaths than usual during June, while two heatwaves in May and June were associated with more than 2,800 excess deaths in the UK.
Authorities across Europe are therefore treating further heat episodes as a public-health issue rather than simply a weather inconvenience. Heat-health alerts, advice on staying hydrated and efforts to protect older people and other vulnerable groups are becoming increasingly important as extreme temperatures become more frequent.
How is the Mediterranean contributing to the heat?
The Mediterranean Sea is also exceptionally warm, adding another dimension to Europe’s heat problem.
A buoy has recorded a sea-surface temperature of 33°C in the Mediterranean. If confirmed, the measurement would represent the highest temperature recorded in the region.
Warm seas can influence atmospheric conditions and contribute to persistently high overnight temperatures in nearby coastal areas. Earlier forecasts for August also highlighted the likelihood of unusually warm conditions across Mediterranean countries, including Spain, Italy, Greece and parts of the Balkans.
The exceptionally warm sea therefore provides an important backdrop to the wider European heat situation, although individual heatwaves are produced by a combination of atmospheric circulation, regional weather patterns and underlying climate conditions.
Is climate change making Europe’s heat more severe?
Scientists increasingly link the growing frequency and intensity of extreme heat to human-driven climate change, although the precise causes of any individual weather event require separate attribution analysis.
Europe has warmed substantially in recent decades, meaning heatwaves now occur against a higher baseline temperature. This can make extreme events more intense and increase the likelihood that existing records will be surpassed.
The current summer also illustrates how heat and drought can interact. As soils dry, less water is available for evaporation, reducing a natural cooling mechanism and allowing more of the available energy to raise air temperatures. Burgess described the relationship between heat and drought as increasingly reinforcing one another.
The broader climate indicators are also notable. Copernicus reported that July’s average sea-surface temperature across the extrapolar oceans reached a record 20.96°C, narrowly exceeding the previous July record of 20.89°C set in 2023.
What could happen next across Europe?
The immediate outlook will depend on how long the current high-pressure systems remain in place and when cooler air and meaningful rainfall reach affected regions.
For central and eastern Europe, the continuation of hot, dry conditions would increase pressure on rivers, agriculture, forests and energy infrastructure. In western Europe, France and the UK are already preparing for another period of high temperatures, while parts of southern Europe continue to face wildfire threats.
The situation also highlights the wider economic and infrastructure consequences of extreme weather. Low rivers can affect freight transport, water shortages can constrain electricity generation, and prolonged heat can increase demand for cooling while reducing the resilience of already-dry landscapes.
Europe’s latest heatwave is therefore more than a sequence of broken temperature records. It is exposing the interconnected risks created when extreme heat, drought, wildfires and water shortages occur at the same time.
Further temperature records remain possible as August progresses, particularly if high pressure persists over affected areas. Weather services and emergency authorities will be closely monitoring temperatures, river levels, fire conditions and health risks in the coming days. The combination of repeated heatwaves and increasingly dry conditions means that developments across Europe are likely to remain a major weather and climate story through the remainder of the summer.
