A relentless heatwave gripping much of western Europe pushed the United Kingdom to its hottest day of the year on Thursday, with temperatures reaching 38.1 degrees Celsius (100.6°F) at Kew Gardens in west London — provisionally the country's fifth hottest day on record. The reading edged past the previous 2026 high set on 28 June and came as 40 locations across central and southern England recorded temperatures of 36°C or above. Britain is now experiencing its fifth heatwave of the summer, having first entered one in May, and 2026 has set a new record with four days reaching 36°C or higher.

The scorching conditions are not confined to Britain. France entered a seventeenth consecutive day of extreme heat, making it the third-longest heatwave ever recorded in the country, with temperatures approaching 41°C in regions stretching from Aquitaine in the southwest to the Rhône valley in the east. In northern Greece, a large wildfire tore through the pine forests of the Chalkidiki peninsula — a popular tourist destination south of Thessaloniki — forcing the evacuation of more than 300 tourists and residents by sea from the resort village of Siviri. A fleet of 15 boats, including coastguard and fire brigade vessels, ferried evacuees — many still in their bathing costumes — away from smoke-darkened shores, as 140 firefighters, nine aircraft and seven helicopters battled flames fanned by winds approaching 100 kilometres per hour. Of 40 fires reported across Greece in the previous 24 hours, nine remained uncontrolled by late Thursday.

In England's West Midlands, firefighters tackled a fast-spreading grassfire near Stourbridge, a town southwest of Birmingham, with footage showing several homes alight next to a golf course. Around 60 firefighters attended the scene, and a local town hall was opened as a rest centre for displaced residents. The crisis prompted Prime Minister Andy Burnham to say he would consider banning disposable barbecues. Meanwhile, nurses in hospitals have collapsed from heat exhaustion, with the Royal College of Nursing warning that staff were