Astounding, summer-like heat is painting an ominous global picture as May 2026 draws to a close. One big headline-grabber this week has been the historic late-spring heat wave in and around Western Europe, which has pushed readings above 95 degrees Fahrenheit as far north as London. And dangerous early summer heat has also spread across many other parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
“This is an unprecedented event with a one in 1,000 chance of happening at this time of year in the climate of 1979 to 2025,” French climate scientist Christophe Cassou told the French news site Le Monde, as cited by Bloomberg. “It would have been virtually impossible in the preindustrial era.”
Record-melting heat from Morocco to Ireland
A strong ridge of high pressure above Western Europe has kept skies largely clear, and the sinking air associated with the high warms as it descends. It’s a classic setup for early season heat, especially with sunshine already stronger than it is in early August.
What’s distressing is that millions of people have experienced not just a garden-variety May warm spell, but heat that’s gone beyond anything observed before June. This tableau has included record daytime heat as well as absurdly out-of-season “tropical nights,” when the temperature fails to drop below 68°F or 20 degrees Celsius. It’s eerily reminiscent of the epic late-March heat wave that brought summerlike heat across the central and western United States, pummeling hundreds of monthly records.
