AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.It’s Still Spring in Europe, but the Heat is Already Breaking RecordsAuthorities in Britain and France warned that “unprecedented” temperatures — at a time when few expected them — could persist. Climate change has made heat waves more frequent and more intense.Listen · 6:17 min VideoRecord Heat Grips Parts of EuropeHeat records in parts of Western Europe have been smashed, with weather agencies describing the spring heat wave as “unprecedented” and “remarkable.”CreditCredit...Jack Taylor/ReutersMay 26, 2026, 12:39 p.m. ETLines of Londoners outside public pools and ponds. Water mists dousing tennis spectators at the French Open. Commuters packed in stifling public transportation.And summer hasn’t even started.Several countries in Western Europe baked under record-breaking heat this week, far earlier than normal, prompting governments to warn about health risks. Heat waves in Europe have become more frequent and more severe in recent years, and scientists have repeatedly attributed that to a rise in global temperatures, driven mainly by the burning of coal, oil and gas.One study by climate scientists on Tuesday concluded that the extraordinary temperature spikes “are primarily attributed to human driven climate change.”