London recorded its highest temperature for the month of May on Monday, while France issued heatwave warnings.
historic record
The temperature in Kew Gardens, southwest London, reached a record high of 34.8 degrees Celsius on Monday.
The UK Met Office, via its X platform, said Monday saw the highest temperature ever recorded for the month of May, surpassing by two degrees the previous record of 32.8 degrees, set in 1922 and again in 1944. The Met
Office stated that such heat is exceptional for Britain, even at the height of summer.
Met Office expert Greg Dewhurst noted that this level is significantly higher than the average for this time of year, which in London is typically around 17 or 18 degrees.
Increase in extremist phenomena
Scientists say that climate change caused by human activity is intensifying extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, and floods, making record-breaking temperatures more frequent.
Dewhurst pointed to the increasing frequency of extreme events, not only in the UK but worldwide, where records are being broken at an accelerating rate, noting that this is a clear indicator of ongoing climate change.
Britain experienced its highest ever recorded temperature in 2025.
The heat continues in Paris
In the Gard region of southern France, temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
François Jourand, a meteorologist with the French meteorological service, said this early and exceptional heatwave would likely continue through the weekend.
Eight departments in western France were placed on orange alert, the second of three heatwave levels, on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Sport urged extreme caution during exercise on Sunday.
Two deaths in Paris
On Sunday, a participant in a running race in Paris died, and about 10 other runners were hospitalized in critical condition near the French capital.
A 28-year-old woman died near Lyon from heatstroke caused by exertion during a combined running and aerobics event in an air-conditioned gym.
Organizing work in the free
In Italy, regulations restricting prolonged sun exposure between 12:30 and 16:00 came into effect on Monday in the Lazio region, which includes Rome.
This measure, which was implemented last year starting May 30, will remain in place until September 15.
A report published at the end of April by the European Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization noted that since the 1980s, Europe has warmed at twice the global average rate, and that heat waves have become more frequent and intense across at least 95% of European landmass.
