Another round of intense heat is expected to sweep across large swaths of Europe this week. Forecasters warned that rapidly rising temperatures, combined with persistently bone-dry conditions, could worsen a severe threat of wildfires.
The latest heat wave will be Europe’s fifth since May, as a broad area of high pressure — also known as a heat dome — intensifies across the continent. The most extreme heat is expected initially across parts of France, Spain and Italy before shifting toward Central Europe, where some of the highest temperatures are forecast across Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.
The European Forest Fire Information System forecasts that parts of southern Britain and northwestern France, along with a stretch of territory from the Alps to the Balkans, will remain under “very extreme” fire conditions — the highest category in its fire danger forecast — through at least Wednesday. Surrounding areas, including much of the Iberian Peninsula, central and southern France and parts of the western Balkans, are also facing extreme fire conditions through midweek. » | Nazaneen Ghaffar | Nazaneen Ghaffar is a reporter on The Times’s weather team. She is based in London. | Sunday, August 9, 2026
