Europe is set to be hit by an abnormal heatwave—where will it be hottest?

In the coming days, Europe is set to experience its first major heatwave of the summer, which will push temperatures to record highs for this time of year. The sharpest rise in temperatures is expected in the United Kingdom, France, and Spain, where temperatures could reach monthly highs.

Bloomberg reports this.

According to meteorologists’ forecasts, a high-pressure system (anticyclone), which warms the air as it compresses closer to the ground, will linger over the continent and raise temperatures to levels up to 11 °C above the climate norm.

The abnormal heat will intensify rapidly as early as this weekend in the UK: according to the UK Met Office, the daytime high in London will reach +32°C on May 24.

The official start of summer is still a few weeks away, but long-term weather trends on the continent—which is warming faster than anywhere else in the world—point to frequent heat waves and extreme temperatures in the coming months.

As meteorologists note, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that high temperatures are already beginning to dry out the soil in the northern half of Europe.

"This could trap a high-pressure system, which would further intensify the heat, trigger a further rise in temperatures, and block precipitation—thus creating a persistent vicious cycle," explained Amy Hodgson, a meteorologist at Atmospheric G2.

The French government weather service, Météo-France, expects that due to climate change, heat waves will occur both earlier and later during the summer season.

Over the next few days, the high in Paris will reach 31°C, and in the southwest of the country, it will reach 35°C.

The most extreme heat is expected to hit Spain. According to the state meteorological agency AEMET, temperatures in the Guadiana and Guadalquivir regions could rise to +38°C.