Unseasonal May heat wave grips Europe

Western Europe is set to experience another day of exceptional heat on Tuesday, a day after both France and the UK logged their hottest May temperatures on record.

The hot weather comes as a so-called heat dome of warm air from northern Africa has settled over western Europe, bringing temperatures not normally seen until the height of summer.

Scientists say Europe is warming faster than the global average amid human-driven climate change, making such heat waves more frequent and severe.

In Germany, the temperature went beyond 30C (86F) for the first time this year on Saturday, with even warmer weather expected through Wednesday in some parts of the country.

Why Europe is already experiencing record heat waves

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High temperatures in the UK

In the United Kingdom, the Met Office weather agency said the temperature on Monday hit 34.8C (94.64F) at Kew Gardens in southwest London, which is two degrees above the previous May high in the country. 

"This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone May," it said on X.

Temperatures in London normally average about 17C or 18C at this time of year.

The Met Office said the record for the highest minimum temperature for May in the UK had also been broken provisionally overnight to Tuesday, calling it a "tropical night."

Last week, climate advisers warned that the country was "built for a climate that no longer exists," urging the government to adapt infrastructure such as schools and hospitals to meet conditions on a warming planet.

France, Spain, Italy swelter

In France, the weather agency Meteo-France said  "Monday was the hottest day recorded for the month of May since measurements began" for the country as a whole.

It said the hot spell was expected to last until at least the end of the week, issuing an orange heat wave alert — the second-highest — for the northwest of the country on Tuesday morning.

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

On Sunday, a man died during a 10-kilometer running race in the city, civil defense services said, although it is yet to be established whether the heat was responsible for his death.

A woman in Lyon also died of heat stroke after a competitive fitness run.

Further south, Spain is expected to experience the highest temperatures of the heat wave later this week, with some areas possibly hitting 40C, according to the country's meteorological office, AEMET.

Parts of Italy have already imposed restrictions on working outdoors.

Similar rules had been put in place last year, but only from May 30.

Edited by: Richard Connor

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