World·PhotosForecasters in the U.K. are predicting the mercury will rise as high as 38 C in central and southeast England on Thursday, potentially making it the hottest day of the year. Temperatures in France, meanwhile, are forecast to go even higher, reaching 40 C in central and southern areas and 38 C in Paris.Britain and France swelter under 5th heat wave with no end to drought in sightThe Associated Press · Posted: Aug 13, 2026 10:09 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.A dog runs over dried grass in front of Tower Bridge during the fifth heat wave of the year in London, England, on Thursday. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/The Associated Press)Large parts of western Europe were sweltering once again on Thursday, with Britain and France entering their fifth heat waves of an exceptional summer that's threatening to break even more records.Forecasters in the U.K. are predicting the mercury will rise as high as 38 C in central and southeast England, potentially making it the hottest day of the year. The highest temperature this year was recorded on June 26 when the temperature hit 38 C in eastern England.The U.K.'s Met Office said earlier this week that only average conditions were needed for the rest of August to beat last year's record for the hottest year.Temperatures in France, meanwhile, are forecast to go even higher, reaching 40 C in central and southern areas and 38 C in Paris.A boy rides a bicycle in Greenwich Park amid dried grass in London on Tuesday. (Kin Cheung/The Associated Press)In Britain, it emerged Thursday that working has been particularly difficult in hospitals, where nurses have been known to collapse from heat exhaustion, according to the Royal College of Nursing.WATCH | Europe susceptible to power outages, water shortages:Rising temperatures make Europe more flammable, scientists sayAugust 3|Duration 2:06Europe has been deemed the fastest warming continent, something scientists say has made the region more flammable and more susceptible to power outages and water shortages."When nursing staff are collapsing, feeling dizzy, sick or even being admitted to the very hospitals they work in because their workplaces cannot handle the heat, it shows just how badly they are being failed," said Nicola Ranger, the college's chief executive and general secretary.This summer has shown that both Britain and France are ill-equipped to deal with these levels of heat. Air conditioning is a rarity outside of shops and offices, for example.A woman cools herself with a folding fan while walking under intense summer sunshine in Grenoble, France, Wednesday. (Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images)Like many parts of Europe, Britain and France are facing widespread drought conditions that have shrivelled crops and drained rivers, heaping pressure on water resources for households, agriculture and the environment.A sunflower field scorched by drought and heat in Guidel, France, on Wednesday. (Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images)Britain's Southern Water, which oversees supplies in the south of England, has applied for a rare drought order that would ban businesses from non-essential water use, including cleaning cars and filling non-domestic swimming pools, saying an "exceptional" lack of rain has threatened supplies in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Environment Secretary Angela Eagle will decide on the application, which would be the first such ban since May 2006.A heron fishes at a reservoir in Sowerby Bridge, England, on Thursday. (Jon Super/The Associated Press)With the land parched and no sign of any meaningful rain coming, authorities in Britain and France remain on high alert for wildfires.In Britain, which is increasingly looking sandy brown rather than its traditional luscious green, firefighters have been out in force this week trying to contain a wildfire in the New Forest in southern England.A visitor uses an umbrella to shield from the sun as she walks around Stonehenge, near Amesbury, Britain, Thursday. (Toby Melville/Reuters)Some 1,017 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year, according to data from the National Fire Chiefs Council, the same as last year's record-breaking total.Though not on the same level as those witnessed in France, Greece and Spain, they provide ample evidence of the need for the U.K. to adjust to a new reality.British PM considers BBQ banPrime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will consider imposing a ban on disposable barbecues amid the risk of further wildfires as extreme heat continues to grip parts of the U.K."I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear," he said. "People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time."Sunken Nazi warships are resurfacing as Europe's drought deepensBritain's 'exceptionally serious' drought tests a country famous for its rainFrench firefighters were back in action, too, after a desperate summer and are threatening to go on strike to demand more staff and resources to cope with increasingly extreme weather events.One broke out late Wednesday in the northern Pas-de-Calais region, and another in Brittany, far from the hotter, drier and more fire-prone regions in southern France. A historic fire devoured forests near Bordeaux last month and pushed a quarter of a million people from their homes.