"The first heat waves of the summer are hitting Europe, triggering wildfires and health warnings. Weather forecasters say such phenomena are becoming more common each year. ... In Andalusia, in southern Spain, temperatures are set to climb to 43 C in a heatwave forecast to last until late next week. " See DW article for more details.
Such heatwaves are now occurring earlier in the year, which experts link to man-made climate change. According to the Spanish weather service Aemet, only two heatwaves were recorded in June between 1975 and 2000, compared to nine between 2000 and 2024. This year, too, temperatures of around 40 degrees at the end of May were similar to those in August. For actual end of June example see small Europe map with temperatures in °C.
In Southern Europe the temperatures stay higher between the heat waves than in the past decades and the heat waves regularly swap over to mid European Germany. The next days we will likely see temperatures up 40°C in South-Western Germany incl. tourist areas such as the Black Forrest.
"All across the EU, residents are being advised to remain indoors during the hottest part of the day if possible — generally from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. — though meteorologists say little cooling should be expected at night over the next week."
These changing conditions can have a significant impact for travelers because they want to stay and get around outdoors. Prevention reaches into early journey planning: travelers who suffer from heat are well recommended to choose wisely when they want to travel to a destination. In some regions late spring or early autumn become the summer we know from decades ago.
