Portugal has recorded its hottest May day in history as a fierce heatwave grips western Europe, sending temperatures soaring and triggering health alerts across several nations.
The historic high of 40.3C was documented on Wednesday in the central town of Mora, shattering the country’s previous May record of 40C which had stood since 2001. Meteorological officials expect temperatures in parts of Portugal to remain above 35C on Friday before the intense heat finally begins to recede over the coming weekend.
The extreme weather has prompted emergency responses in France, where Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu chaired a ministerial meeting to address heatwave readiness, focus on forest fire prevention, and secure regional water supplies.
Despite severe indoor temperatures forcing some schools to close—including a primary school in Souston that registered a staggering 53C indoors—the government confirmed that national Baccalaureate exams will proceed as scheduled. Education unions have criticized the decision, pointing out that nearly 78% of secondary schools recorded indoor temperatures exceeding 30C this week.
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In Paris, where temperatures reached 33C on Thursday and are projected to hit 34C this weekend, seventeen departments have been placed under an orange weather alert.
To mitigate the environmental impact, police have restricted traffic to lower-emission vehicles, lowered speed limits, and introduced a flat-rate public transport fare.
The sweltering conditions also disrupted the French Open, where tennis world number one Jannik Sinner suffered from dizziness and lethargy during a five-set defeat, though he later downplayed the role of the weather.
Meanwhile, Italian authorities issued their first red heatwave alerts of the year for Rome, Florence, Bologna, Brescia, and Turin, warning of potential health risks even for healthy individuals.
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Temperatures in Rome reached 32C on Thursday, while Madrid is bracing for temperatures to climb to 35C over the weekend, a level typical of July or August. Scientists attribute this extreme spell to a “heat dome” trapping warm air, noting that Europe is warming by 0.56C per decade and that the UN projects global temperatures will continue near record levels.
