A powerful heatwave is gripping large parts of western Europe, with temperatures forecast to approach or exceed 40°C (104°F) in the coming days, prompting governments to issue emergency warnings and activate crisis measures. France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and other countries across the continent are all experiencing what meteorologists describe as an "extended, prolonged, and intense" heat event — the second such episode to strike the region in less than a month.

In France, Météo-France has placed 60 of the country's 96 mainland departments — covering around 41 million people, or roughly six in ten French residents — under an orange heatwave alert for Friday and Saturday, with warnings that some areas could be upgraded to red, the highest level, by Sunday. The national weather service issued a stark comparison: if forecasts hold, the 2026 heatwave could match the "duration and severity" of the catastrophic August 2003 event, which claimed approximately 15,000 lives, most of them elderly care home residents, and remains France's deadliest heatwave on record. Temperatures are expected to average 39°C in central and southern France, rising to 40°C in many regions including Paris early next week, with overnight lows potentially staying above 25°C. President Emmanuel Macron urged "extreme vigilance," calling on citizens to look after elderly and vulnerable people. A 30-year-old man died of cardiac arrest on an athletics track near Paris as temperatures hit 37°C on Thursday. French rail operator SNCF cancelled 71 intercity trains, schools rescheduled exams, and several municipalities called off Fête de la Musique celebrations. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu activated France's interministerial crisis centre on Saturday, bringing together ministers from health, transport, education, and other key departments.

Across the Iberian Peninsula, Spain's state meteorological office Aemet confirmed that the country had entered "an episode of persistently high temperatures likely to meet the technical threshold for a heatwave," with peaks of 40°C expected in southern river valleys including the Tagus, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir, as well as parts of the north. The heat is forecast to persist until at least Wednesday or Thursday. In Germany, temperatures in the south-west are expected to reach 36°C, with heat warnings issued even at altitudes of 600 metres. Schools declared a "hitzefrei" — a heat-free day allowing pupils to go home early — while authorities warned against strenuous outdoor activity after a series of drownings during earlier hot spells. Switzerland also issued level 3 and 4 heat warnings, with cities including Basel forecast to see up to 37°C.

The heat is also straining infrastructure. France's power utility EDF warned that four nuclear plants would likely reduce output next week due to unusually warm water in the Rhône and Garonne rivers, which are used for cooling. A Météo-France climatologist noted that climate change is making such events more likely each year — a sobering context for a continent now recording its second extreme heat episode before astronomical summer has even officially begun.