Temperature records are being smashed across Europe as parts of the continent swelter in a heat wave that is bringing extreme temperatures alarmingly early in the year.The continent is grappling with a powerful heat dome, a persistent high-pressure system which acts like a lid on a pot, trapping hot air and pushing it downward. It can remain in place for days or even weeks and is a weather phenomenon made more likely and more intense by human-caused climate change.On Monday, the UK endured its hottest May day on record, with temperatures spiking to 34.8 degrees Celsius (94.6 Fahrenheit) at Kew Gardens in London, breaking the previous record by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit). Usually heat records are broken by only fractions of a degree.AdvertisementAdvertisementThen, on Tuesday, the record was broken again, as temperatures soared to 35 degrees (95 Fahrenheit). The average high temperature for London in late May is around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit).As the heat climbed Monday, a wildfire broke out near Arthur’s Seat, a hill in Edinburgh, Scotland, and hundreds of properties in southeast England were left without water as demand spiked.Flames and smoke rise from a fire close to the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel in Holyrood Park near Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Monday May 25, 2026. – Jane Barlow/PAThere was little respite overnight for the UK, which experienced a “tropical night” where temperatures didn’t fall below 20 degrees (68 Fahrenheit).These temperatures may not sound extreme but are very uncomfortable — even dangerous — in the UK, where most houses are not insulated well enough to keep out heat and only around 5% of homes have air conditioning. A report last week from the UK’s Climate Change Committee warned the UK was “built for a climate that no longer exists.”AdvertisementAdvertisement“While we do occasionally have warm spells in May, what we’re seeing now is unprecedented,” said Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson. Climate change is increasing the chances of breaking May temperature records, Dixon told CNN. “What was around a 1-in-100 year event is now around a 1-in-33 year event.”A woman uses an electric fan as she steps out of a train carriage on the London Underground during a heatwave in London, Britain, May 26, 2026. – Jack Taylor/ReutersThe UK isn’t the only place suffering. Much of Western Europe is facing temperatures 10 to 15 degrees Celsius (18 …
