Millions of people across Europe, particularly in France, Italy, Spain and Britain, sweltered through another wave of extreme temperatures on Thursday as the continent's latest heatwave intensified.
More than 135 million people were forecast to face temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius, with Britain recording its fifth-hottest day on record and parts of France soaring above 42 degrees Celsius.
Drought-stricken agricultural land with a dry, yellowed field in the commune of Savas in France, August 13, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
Europe is the fastest-warming continent and largely unprepared for extreme heat. Scientists attribute the intensifying heatwaves to human-caused climate change.
Successive heatwaves and drought have fueled a record-breaking summer of wildfires and contributed to thousands of deaths.
Europe swelters
People walk past dried grass alongside the River Thames during a heatwave in London, the UK, August 13, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
Temperatures in London reached 38.1 degrees Celsius at Kew Gardens, marking the hottest day of the year and Britain's fifth-hottest day on record, per the Met Office.
The heat is straining hospitals, with healthcare workers reporting increased heat-related illness cases. The Met Office said Britain was on track for its warmest summer on record, after temperature records fell in May and June.
A pharmacy sign displays a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius in Bordeaux, France, August 13, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
France also faced severe heat, with Meteo-France recording 42.5 degrees Celsius in Chateaumeillant in central France – the country's highest reading Thursday. Paris reached 38 degrees Celsius as much of the country remained under heatwave alert.
In Italy, similar temperatures were forecast to affect 29 million people, particularly along the west coast, in the Po Valley, the south and on its islands.
Large parts of the Iberian Peninsula sweltered, with around 25 million people affected in Spain. Spain's Aemet weather agency recorded 37 degrees Celsius in central regions Thursday.
Wildfires fueled by drought
Prolonged heat and drought have intensified wildfires across Europe. Fires forced evacuations in Greece and Croatia as firefighters in Britain battled blazes destroying homes in dry conditions.
The Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant in Cernavoda, Romania, August 5, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
Extreme weather has disrupted energy supplies. Romania shut down its only nuclear power plant Thursday after drought caused the Danube River – whose waters cool the facility – to fall to record-low levels.
Hungary has avoided shutting down its only nuclear plant, Paks, whose four reactors are also cooled by the Danube. But with the river expected to drop further, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said Wednesday the government ordered construction of a submerged wall – or weir – to control water flows near the plant.
France reported reduced nuclear power output from drought, extreme heat and a jellyfish invasion.
(With input from AFP)