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June 19, 2026 - 14:59
4 minutes
(Bloomberg) — Western Europe’s heat wave is forecast to intensify this weekend, turbocharged by El Niño and putting France on track for record temperatures.The heat wave is being fueled by a dome of high pressure over continental Europe, which raises temperatures as sinking air compresses toward the ground. The pattern is being reinforced by the developing strong El Niño and a cold pool of water in the North Atlantic, which is helping create a dip in the jet stream over the ocean and driving the high pressure over Europe, said William Henneberg, a meteorologist with Commodity Weather Group.“This is very unusual,” he said, adding that the pattern is likely linger and lead to above-normal temperatures through early July.The heat dome spans most of the region but its epicenter is over France, where the mercury soared above 40C (104F) on Thursday. Even higher temperatures are forecast in the coming days, with Paris set to hit a June record on Monday, according to Vaisala.The searing heat is disrupting daily life in France, with schools canceling end-of-year festivities and a thunderstorm delaying 60 flights late Thursday at the capital’s Charles de Gaulle airport, Agence France-Presse reported. The condition of the French wheat crop is deteriorating, while power output from the country’s nuclear reactors is set to be curbed next week.The heat is straining Europe’s energy grid, as households and businesses are expected to run air conditioners hard enough to push cooling demand to all-time highs, according to analysis from Vaisala and Commodity Weather Group.At the same time, Electricite de France has warned that reactors drawing cooling water from the Rhône and Garonne may have to curb generation as river temperatures rise. That recurring summer constraint — designed to keep plants from discharging water that is too hot — may come as early as Tuesday, EDF said.Government forecaster Météo-France raised the number of departments on amber alert for extreme heat to 53 for Friday.French transport company SNCF has canceled more than 70 train services due to concern about air-conditioning failures, and end-of-year oral examinations for the national baccalaureate have been postponed for 4,500 students at 84 schools in western France, ICI reported.The weather pattern is set to drive up temperatures in Spain, Germany and in the UK, which is likely to see heat wave conditions start on Sunday in southern England, according to the UK Met Office.The heat and absence of rain are drying vegetation and raising the risk of drought in the UK and for wildfire conditions in France and Spain, forecasters said. Those conditions are likely to worsen, with weather models and analysis from Vaisala showing unusually warm temperatures lingering until July.Three months after drought conditions ended in the UK, the threat of prolonged dryness is rising fast in southern England, which received about 50% of its typical spring rainfall, the UK government’s National Drought Group said Friday.Authorities have warned about the mounting health effects of heat during the day and at night. Many parts of Europe are set to see evening temperatures stay above 20C — so-called “tropical nights” — that can increase fatigue and heat illness, especially among children, older adults and people with medical conditions.Red heat alerts have been issued in Germany and Switzerland, with amber alerts in effect across southern England, parts of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy and Spain. Yellow alerts cover much of mainland Europe.–With assistance from Eamon Akil Farhat.(Updates with new weather analysis from second paragraph)©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
