Extreme heat to persist across southwestern Europe, including France and Spain

      Since May 20, a ridge of high pressure has dominated parts of Western and Southern Europe, with temperatures in many locations breaking historical May records—underscoring the event’s pronounced extremity (Fig.1). Over the next three days, the warm blocking high will remain in place, with the ridge maintaining its strength (Fig. 2). Western Europe and the western parts of Southern Europe will see generally fine and settled weather; maximum temperatures are expected to reach around 32°C in parts of Portugal, Spain, France and Italy, and may exceed 35°C locally in southern Portugal and southwestern–northeastern Spain (Fig. 3). Attention should be paid to adverse impacts of the prolonged heat on power-grid dispatch/management and fire risk, while outdoor operations require heat-protection measures (hydration, shading and adjusted work/rest schedules).

Fig. 1  Extreme Forecast Index (EFI) for 2-meter temperature at 29 May 2026 (UTC).

Fig. 2  Forecast of 500 hPa geopotential height (contours, units: dagpm) and wind field (wind barbs, units: m/s) at 12:00 UTC 28 May 2026.

Fig. 3  Forecast of daily maximum temperature (shaded, units: °C) at 20:00 Beijing Time, 30 May 2026.

https://www.wmc-bj.net

Author: Che Jinning                             Reviewer: Zhou Ningfang 

English reviewer:Wang Yi                                                              Issue approver:Dai Kan