Extreme heatwaves hit Western Europe in late May and June 2025. Parts of Portugal, Spain and southern France recorded historically high temperatures for this period. For example, on May 28, it reached Portugal's Amareleja reached 39.5 °C, equalling the May temperature record for the location. In Spain, El Granado (Huelva) reached 39.1 °C on the same day, and Paris was forecast to exceed 30 °C by next weekend. In France, the Perpignan region recorded 32.3 °C (Canet-en-Roussillon) – a very high value for the end of May. Meteorologists expected temperature records to fall – Spain's AEMET warned that the days of 29 May to 1 June could be the hottest for those dates "at least since 1950". Up to 40–42 °C were forecast in the Guadalquivir valleys (Andalusia), around 39 °C in the Guadiana valley and above 37 °C in the Ebro valley. Temperature models and subsequent measurements confirmed that temperatures at the end of the month exceeded normal May levels by 6–10 °C, with Spain and Portugal even expected to exceed 40 °C, which would be the first time ever for this part of the year.

Portugal

On record, rising temperatures in Portugal’s Alentejo – a region where temperatures reached 39.5°C on 28 May (Amareleja). In Portugal, the IPMA (Portuguese Meteorological Institute) issued warnings even earlier, already on 26 May, when it actively warned of “very high temperatures” in the south of the country. For example, the districts of Setúbal, Évora and Beja were placed on orange and yellow alert levels on 27–28 May, while Lisbon was also on alert on 29 May due to persistent high maximums. The IPMA directly stated that from 27 May onwards, daily maximums would exceed 30°C throughout the country (except on the west coast), and that southern Portugal and the Tagus Valley would exceed 35°C. Such an extreme temperature pattern occurred in the midst of the worst spring drought in decades, which, according to the IPMA headquarters, also increases the risk of forest fires to the highest level (PIR máximo) in some southern parts of the country.

Spain

In Spain, the heatwave was concentrated mainly in the south and inland. According to AEMET, on 28 May, temperatures exceeded 38°C in some areas, with El Granado (Andalusia, province of Huelva) reaching 39.1°C and Seville airport reaching 39.0°C. The Spanish meteorological service therefore issued warnings of the highest (orange) and second level (yellow) in Andalusia and nine other provinces. Temperatures were expected to rise further on Thursday and Friday (29–30 May), with the Guadalquivir (40–42°C) and Guadiana (around 39°C) valleys reaching above 40°C. Similarly, forecasts for Madrid were for 37°C and Seville was expected to exceed 40°C in the first days of June. Spanish meteorologist Rubén del Campo (AEMET) explained that the cause was hot air masses from Africa, and pointed out that this scenario "fits perfectly into the situation of a warmer planet" - according to him, the rise in temperatures is "a direct and tangible consequence of climate change."

France

In France, the heatwave was milder than in the Iberian Peninsula, but meteorologists also recorded unusually warm temperatures here. In the following days, the maximums in the southern regions of France (e.g. 34 °C in Limoges, 36 °C in Bordeaux, 35 °C in Toulouse) were expected to reach around 30–35 °C. At the end of May, some eastern regions also exceeded 30 °C. The highest measured value in the period was 32.3 °C in Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales department) – an unusually high value for May in the northern part of the Mediterranean coast. Although Paris and the north of the country did not have many warnings, the 30 °C mark was expected to be exceeded there during the heatwave. In France, Météo-France also issued heatwave warnings for the hottest regions (the government headquarters issued general guidelines).

Impacts on population, infrastructure and agriculture

The extreme heat had immediate impacts on the population and infrastructure. In both Spain and Portugal, authorities issued health warnings for risk groups (elderly people, chronically ill people, children) and recommended limiting exposure to the sun. As recently as 30 May, Spanish media were stressing that such extreme heat “comes without acclimatisation” and that the first heat waves of summer are usually the most dangerous for health. Previous waves have shown an increase in deaths: for example, in Portugal, during the July 2022 wave, the health authorities recorded 238 supernatural deaths in a few days and in Spain 84 excessive deaths in the first 3 days of heat. At that time, official statistics were not yet available, but the threat of further health problems was real. In some areas, the heat also affected transport: in high temperatures, steel tracks expand for a longer period, trains have to slow down, asphalt on roads can soften and infrastructure failures occur (e.g. due to increased electricity consumption). As Reuters pointed out, at the end of April 2025, the Iberian Peninsula was hit by a nationwide power outage, which paralyzed Spain and Portugal for several hours. The poor spring in terms of precipitation negatively affected agriculture - dry weather and heat delayed the spring sowing of wheat and corn in several regions. Farmers are worried about reduced yields, similar to previous dry periods.

Expert assessment and connection to climate change

Meteorologists and climatologists reiterate that the record heatwaves are consistent with long-term climate trends. The French government portal dedicated to climate change adaptation recalls that heatwaves are among the “most iconic impacts of climate change” – France is experiencing increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves. Similarly, the Spanish AEMET emphasizes that the temperature extremes we are seeing now “perfectly correspond to the situation of a warmer planet” and that the increase in temperatures is a “direct and tangible” result of global warming. Copernicus/ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) states in its current analysis that Europe is warming approximately twice as fast as the global average, and that 2024 was the warmest year in Europe on record. Collectively, all renowned institutions link the current record heatwave to a global trend of rising temperatures, which increases the occurrence of such extreme events.

Sources: Current data was provided by Météo-France, AEMET and IPMA through press releases and warnings, measurement results are reported by news sources (The Guardian, RTVE, Reuters) and expert portals (Meteored, Copernicus, climate change adaptation portal). Spring