Weather tracker: Saharan heat to send temperatures soaring across Europe
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Saharan air mass settled over the Iberian peninsula and spread into southern and western France, pushing temperatures into the low- and mid-30s Celsius across wide areas.
- Forecasts project the hot air spreading north-eastward by midweek, with Friday maximums reaching the mid-30s Celsius in Germany, Italy, and Czechia — readings 9-13°C above the 1991-2020 climate average.
- The UK is likely to see occasional warm plumes from the continent on Thursday and Friday, nudging southern and eastern England into the mid- to high-20s Celsius.
- The heatwave is expected to last up to five consecutive days in the mid-30s in some areas — meeting the formal heatwave definition — before easing for most of Europe by early next week.
- Australia is simultaneously running a mild winter, with Melbourne forecast to reach the high-teens Celsius on Tuesday and Wednesday (3-4°C above average) and overnight lows 5-6°C above normal.
- The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has linked the warm pattern to developing El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean, which typically bring above-average daytime temperatures to much of the country.
Why it matters: Temperatures running 9-13°C above the 1991-2020 climate baseline in major European economies signal a heat event of unusual magnitude, with potential public-health stress and infrastructure strain in countries like Germany, Italy, and Czechia unaccustomed to sustained mid-30s heat. The concurrent Australian warmth, tied by the national weather agency to a developing El Niño, points to a broad atmospheric pattern rather than a localized anomaly.
Ask SkimNews
