MAP SHOWS EVERY TEMPERATURE RECORD BROKEN IN EUROPE'S HISTORIC HEAT WAVE
Newsweek Exclusive Feature
Several European countries have shattered dozens of heat records so far this summer, leading to over 2,000 deaths.
A television report in 2014 projected that France's summer temperatures would reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit in 2050, but despite having over two decades still to go the country recorded its hottest ever June last month, with temperatures surpassing 104 degrees Fahrenheit in its southwestern regions.
Cantabria in Spain climbed to a scorching 110.7 degrees Fahrenheit in late June, the hottest regional temperature in any month of the year to date, while Barcelona recorded its highest temperature in 112 years on July 9. The milestones in France and Spain are just some of the latest entries in an unprecedented summer ledger that has left over 2,000 dead from heat-related illness.
Since May, an unrelenting heat dome has repeatedly redrawn the temperature charts of Western and Central Europe, toppling national all-time records, June records and city marks in country after country.
June 2026 was officially the hottest June ever recorded on the continent, and here are some of the heatwave's most striking figures.
National All-Time Records Fall
The most consequential records are the all-time ones—the hottest temperatures ever measured in a country's history—and this heatwave broke an unusually large cluster of them simultaneously.
Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary all sweltered through their hottest days on record within the same 24-hour window.
Germany hit a preliminary new all-time high of 107.1 degrees Fahrenheit in Coschen, near the Polish border in eastern Brandenburg, its national weather service reported. Germany also logged its warmest overnight low, or "tropical night," at 84.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
Czechia's hydrometeorological institute confirmed a new all-time high of 107.4 degrees Fahrenheit in Doksany.
Poland surpassed a 105-year-old record, with 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit seen in Słubice on the Polish-German border.
Hungary broke its own all-time record for the date twice in 48 hours, reaching 105.3 degrees Fahrenheit in Budakalász after a 104 degrees Fahrenheit reading the day before.
Denmark also logged a new national all-time high of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit on June 27, its hottest day ever recorded.
June Records Broken Across the Continent
Beyond the all-time marks, an even longer list of records fell specifically for June.
The U.K. endured its hottest June day ever, with parts of England reaching 99.9 degrees Fahrenheit—a mark broken in stages over several days, climbing from 97 degrees Fahrenheit in Hampshire to 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit in Suffolk before peaking at 99.9 degrees Fahrenheit in Norfolk, according to the Met Office.
The U.K. also broke its record for the most days above 93.2 degrees Fahrenheit in a single year, in what was the country's third heatwave of 2026; one that has placed severe strain on its public services and emergency rooms.
Wales recorded its hottest June day on record and its highest temperature of the year so far, with 96.6 degrees Fahrenheit measured at Bute Park, Cardiff.
Further away, Slovenia hit 101.7 degrees Fahrenheit in Podnanos, marking a new national June record.
Austria's June 28 heat was especially widespread as temperatures exceeded 102 degrees Fahrenheit at multiple locations across Lower
Austria and Vienna. That day, the Innere Stadt district of Vienna recorded 104 degrees Fahrenheit, setting a new Austrian June temperature record and marking the first time the capital had reached that value since records began.
Switzerland, the Netherlands and France also set new June records, with France recording its hottest June day on record nationally.
France's Historic Heat and Human Toll
France's numbers, especially in the north of the country, were the most extreme and unexpected. June 23 brought the country's hottest day ever recorded, with a national average temperature of 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit—also a record—and localized readings exceeding 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cazaux reached 109.9 degrees Fahrenheit, Niort hit 108 degrees Fahrenheit and Bordeaux recorded 107.8 degrees Fahrenheit, while the unofficial hottest reading nationwide was 111.7 degrees Fahrenheit at Pissos in Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
"In some places it is hot, but the humidity can be especially high, which makes it even hotter," Carolyn Wesolek, from the British Standards Institution, told Newsweek. "Any future heat plans should reflect local environmental conditions, including humidity, seasonal changes and building-specific risks."
But during the height of the last heatwave, fifty-eight French departments were placed under red heat alerts; more than 8,000 schools were affected and 1,800 closed. In Paris, temperatures near 104 degrees Fahrenheit forced the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower to close early to visitors. Officials even allowed crowds to swim in the Canal Saint-Martin for relief, though open swimming has contributed to several deaths across the country as people desperately tried to cool down.
Parks stayed open later into the night as residents, unable to cool their apartments, slept outdoors. Wildfires are currently sweeping parts of southeastern France as the drought-heat combination intensifies.
France's national public health agency reported roughly 1,000 excess deaths tied to the heatwave.
Spain's Deadly Summer
Spain's toll was even steeper. At least 1,028 people died in heat-related deaths during the country's experience of the heatwave.
Spain recorded its hottest January-to-June period on record and its second-hottest June ever, with national temperatures averaging 3.2 degrees Celsius above normal. At the heat's peak on June 23, roughly 35.7 million people—73 percent of Spain's population—were exposed to dangerous heat and its health risks.
A Warming Baseline
Copernicus, the EU's climate monitoring service, confirmed that June was the warmest on record for the region.
Scientists say the pattern reflects a climate driven increasingly toward extremes, with wildfires now breaking out across Spain, Portugal and southern France as the dry, superheated conditions persist.
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