- A heat wave in Europe caused record-breaking temperatures across several countries.
- Much of Europe doesn't have air conditioning, so people used fountains and ice cream to cool off.
- The heat affected public transportation, grocery shopping, and other aspects of daily life.
Over 120 million people across 18 European countries are caught in a heat wave, with record-breaking temperatures exceeding 113 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas.
The extreme conditions, which began last week and continued to spike on Thursday, were caused by a heat dome, a high-pressure system that traps heat and humidity.
The World Meteorological Organization reported in April that Europe is warming at a rate that is twice the global average due to the climate crisis, with 95% of the continent experiencing above-average annual temperatures last year.
With no air conditioning in much of Europe, there is little relief to be found from the sweltering weather. Several European governments issued health warnings advising the public to minimize unnecessary travel and carry water while outdoors.
The heat has also proven fatal, with five dead from heat exposure in Italy and 40 drowning deaths reported in France, where many young people have taken to swimming unattended in lakes and canals, The New York Times reported.
Photos show how extreme heat is affecting businesses, infrastructure, and daily life across Europe — and how locals and tourists are doing their best to beat the heat.
On Tuesday, a thermometer in Brussels displayed a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius, or 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - JUNE 23: A thermometer shows 45°C (113°F) in front of the Berlaymont, the EU Commission headquarter on June 23, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. Various European governments issued health warnings this week in relation to the high temperatures, which were nearing 40 degrees Celsius in many large cities.
Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
Dogs and humans alike splashed in sidewalk sprinklers and fountains around Brussels for a break from the heat.
A dog plays with water sprays during a heatwave in Brussels on June 25, 2026. At least 101 million Europeans were expected to experience temperatures of over 35C on June 25, 2026, in a punishing and increasingly deadly heatwave hotter than weather in parts of Africa.
Nicolas TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images
Billboards in Venice, Italy, issued heat wave alerts on Tuesday, when temperatures reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
VENICE, ITALY - JUNE 24: An illuminated sign warns of a heatwave alert, on June 24, 2026 in Venice, Italy. Venice is hit by a severe heatwave, with temperatures reaching 35°C today, as an African anticyclone grips northern Italy and the Po Valley, pushing temperatures well above the seasonal average.
Simone Padovani/Getty Images
Tourists on the Ponte della Paglia bridge in Venice carried umbrellas for some relief from the sun.
VENICE, ITALY - JUNE 24: Tourists in the sun on the Ponte della Paglia, opposite the Bridge of Sighs, at the height of a severe heatwave, on June 24, 2026 in Venice, Italy. Venice is gripped by a severe heatwave, 34°C at 12:30, with highs of up to 38°C forecast across the Po Valley this weekend, and its very fabric makes it a hotspot: stone and masonry, narrow alleys that trap heat, almost no greenery, and lagoon humidity that deepens the mugginess and blocks night-time cooling. The cost falls above all on an ageing, shrinking resident population, now below 48,000 in the historic centre. The city is ill-equipped: no network of climate shelters, few drinking fountains, poorly distributed and absent from crowded hubs such as St Mark's and Rialto, and little relief beyond stepping into bars, museums or churches; air conditioning is limited and contentious, between heritage limits on external units and the heat they would pour into the alleys. This fragility is set against better-equipped Po Valley cities such as Bologna, with its network of climate shelters. Venice features in Padus as the most vulnerable urban face of the eastern Po Valley, where the Po system meets the sea and the same heat-and-water crisis striking the farmland also hits the cities. Italy's Po Valley, shaped by the river Po - known as Padus in ancient times, is one of Europe's most intensively cultivated and densely populated regions. It is characterised by extensive irrigation networks, high concentrations of livestock farming and major food distribution systems. It is also known for being among the most polluted areas in Europe; increasingly affected in recent years by droughts, extreme weather events and shifting seasonal patterns, the region provides a representative case study of how climate variability interacts with highly developed production systems, shaping both vulnerabilities and adaptive responses at an international scale.
Simone Padovani/Getty Images
The UK experienced its hottest June day on record on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 97 degrees Fahrenheit, causing train cancellations.
IVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 24: Train cancellations cause chaos to services due to the heatwave in Liverpool, United Kingdom on June 24, 2026. The United Kingdom experienced its hottest June day on record, as an intense heatwave pushed temperatures beyond a benchmark that had stood for five decades.
Tamara Davison/Anadolu via Getty Images
Signs at King's Cross station in London advised train passengers to "only travel if absolutely necessary" on Wednesday and Thursday.
A sign shows hot weather travel advice at Kings Cross station in central London on June 24, 2026. The UK's meteorological office has issued an extremely rare red heat warning -- only issued once before -- for June24 and 25, as temperatures could soar to 40C, unprecedented for the time of the year.
Toby Shepheard/AFP via Getty Images
Riders on the tube in London carried fans to cool themselves off.
As the hottest ever day in June is recorded with the breaking of a fifty-year record of 36 degrees Celcius recorded in southern England, two women use fans on a tube train, on 24th June 2026, in London, England. A Red Warning, the most severe high temperature weather alert was issued by the Met Office meaning there is a 'high risk to life and substantial disruption to infrastructure'.
Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images
Sainsbury's supermarket locations covered their refrigerated sections with blinds to help keep food cold.
Signs on blinds covering fridges in the chilled food aisle of a Sainsbury's supermarket, alert customers that they have been pulled down to keep food cool during the extreme heat, in Guildford, on the south coast of England on June 25, 2026, during a heatwave. The UK recorded its hottest ever June temperature on June 24 with the mercury rising to 36.1C in southern England, breaking the previous record of 35.6C set in 1976.
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
In Paris, the Louvre announced it would close early through June 27 due to the extreme temperatures.
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 24: An announcement of the Louvre Museum's (Musee du Louvre) early closure due to a heat wave is shown as the Louvre Museum is seen in the background in Paris, France, on June 24, 2026.
Mohamad Salaheldin Abdelghani Alsayed/Anadolu via Getty Images
Ice cream sold out at supermarkets across Paris amid skyrocketing demand for frozen treats.
A nearly empty frozen food aisle at a Franprix store during a heatwave, with depleted freezers and high demand for ice cream, in Paris, France, on June 24, 2026. A scene of everyday consumer life reflecting the sporadic shortages associated with heatwaves in Paris.
Riccardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
Sea lions snacked on ice cubes at Paris Zoological Park.
A zookeeper gives a piece of ice to a sea lion at the Paris Zoological Park in Paris on June 24, 2026, as a heatwave hits France.
Dimitar DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images
Zookeepers at Safaripark Beekse Bergen in the Netherlands provided giraffe-friendly ice cream.
Giraffes eat ice cream to cool down at Beekse Bergen animal park in Hilvarenbeek on June 24, 2026, as an early-summer heatwave smothered much of western Europe.
Iris van den Broek/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
In Tilburg, the Netherlands, locals stocked up on fans.
A woman holding a box with a fan walks in the centre of Tilburg on June 25, 2026 during a heatwave in Europe. A code orange warning is in effect in the central and southern Netherlands due to extreme heat. At least 101 million Europeans were expected to experience temperatures of over 35C on June 25, 2026, in a punishing and increasingly deadly heatwave hotter than weather in parts of Africa.
ROB ENGELAAR/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
In Germany, winter maintenance vehicles in Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis sprayed down roads to keep the asphalt from softening.
25 June 2026, Thuringia, Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis: A winter maintenance vehicle is spraying water on the L2038 road between Lengefeld and the B247 in the Unstrut-Hainich district to cool it down. Due to the high temperatures, the top layer of asphalt has softened. Photo: Jacob Schröter/dpa
Jacob Schröter/picture alliance via Getty Images
Parts of Germany's A2 highway still had to close on Thursday after the high temperatures damaged the road's surface.
dpatop - 25 June 2026, Saxony-Anhalt, Burg: Hot air shimmers over the A2 highway, where the lane heading toward Hanover has been closed. The road surface is currently being repaved there. The high temperatures had damaged the road surface. A closure has become necessary on the important east-west A2 highway near Burg. A wide-area detour has been set up.
Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/picture alliance via Getty Images
A farm in Oberried, Germany, utilized a misting system to help alleviate heat stress for its cows.
24 June 2026, Baden-Württemberg, Oberried: Cows stand in a barn under a misting system, surrounded by a mist of water. The barn's misting system is designed to lower the temperature inside the barn and thereby help alleviate heat stress in the animals. Photo: Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images
Across Europe, government organizations advised people to stay hydrated.
MILAN, ITALY - JUNE 25: A man fills a plastic bottle with water at a public drinking fountain - known in Milan as "drago verde" or "vedovella" - on June 25, 2026 in Piazza della Scala, Milan, Italy. As Milan endures a grueling 15-day streak near 40 °C (104 °F), a formidable "heat dome" fueled by climate change has shattered all-time meteorological records across 18 European nations, plunging over 120 million people into unprecedented red-alert emergencies and severe energy grid strain
Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images
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