Western Europe is bracing for the summer’s third major heat wave, fueling dangerous wildfire conditions and straining power systems across the region.
A high-pressure weather system is set to bring heat wave conditions this week to France, southern England and the Iberian Peninsula, according to weather models and government forecasters. Southwest France is forecast to see daytime highs hit 40C (104F) in some areas on Monday and Tuesday.
Climate change is intensifying periods of extreme heat on the fastest-warming continent. The record-breaking heat and drought have fueled the worst start ever to the global wildfire season, with climate scientists warning that a developing El Niño could bring even harsher conditions later this summer.
The most extreme temperatures are once again forecast for France, which could see average temperatures rise 5C to 10C above normal this week and next, according to analysis from Vaisala meteorologist Matthew Dross. Temperatures in London are forecast to reach 34C on Monday and again on Thursday, according to the UK Met Office.
The impact of sustained heat is starting to take its toll, with drying soils raising the risk of further wildfires in France, Spain, Portugal and Greece.
The European Union has deployed a record number of firefighters across the continent — along with 22 firefighting aircraft — to help battle the blazes, European Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova said at a Monday briefing in Brussels.
Over the weekend, Portugal and France asked the EU for emergency firefighting help as they struggled with multiple fires. European firefighters are also assisting in Greece.
About 10,000 people have been evacuated due to a wildfire sweeping through the Pyrénées-Orientales in southwest France. The fire ignited Saturday and has burned through about 46 square kilometers, according to France Info.
The third stage of the Tour de France, from Granollers in Spain to Les Angles in the Pyrénées-Orientales, will go ahead as planned on Monday. However, it will take place without spectators and without the advertising caravans on the French section of the route, to avoid putting additional strain on emergency services.
Wildfires have burned about 110 square kilometers in France so far this year, nearly double the amount by the same date in 2025, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on France 2.
Power prices are forecast to rise this week as hot weather boosts cooling demand, while the heat threatens to strain electricity supply.
Électricité de France SA has warned that it may have to limit output from the Chooz nuclear site from Friday due to low water levels in the Meuse River, which is used to cool the plant. EDF’s previous warnings remain in place about potential curtailments at the Blayais, Bugey, Golfech and Saint-Alban plants due to warming waters into the Garonne and Rhône rivers.
German day-ahead power prices are expected to exceed €200 per megawatt-hour on Thursday and Friday evenings, when solar generation fades and electricity demand remains high, while French prices are forecast to top €170 per megawatt-hour during the same period, according to forecasts by analytics firm Kpler.
That compares with German and French power prices of just over €150 per megawatt-hour during Monday evening’s peak, according to Epex Spot SE data.
French solar output rose to a record 21.9 gigawatts on Monday, according to data from power-transmission operator RTE.
Photograph: Firefighters try to contain a fire at a warehouse facility during a wildfire near Oraiokastro, a suburb of Thessaloniki, Greece, on July. 4, 2026; photo credit: Konstantinos Tsakalidis/Bloomberg
Topics Europe
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