Europe heatwave live: UK sees temperatures of 38.1C, the hottest day of 2026; Greece battles wildfires after gale force winds

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@ 13/08/2026

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3h ago

38.1C reported in Kew Gardens, provisionally the hottest day of the year

There it is: the Met Office has just confirmed that it recorded a provisional reading of 38.1C at Kew Gardens, making it the hottest day of the year so far.

It’s the second time we reached 38C this year, it said, with the only other year where this has happened twice in 2022.

It is also the fifth hottest day on record ever, Met Office says.

The previous 2026 record of 38C was recorded on 28 June.

Key events

1h ago
Several homes ablaze in West Midlands wildfire
2h ago
Firefighter injured, tourists flee as Greek wildfire descends on resort village
3h ago
38.1C reported in Kew Gardens, provisionally the hottest day of the year
3h ago
Massive fire reported in Chalkidiki as gale-force winds fuel blaze
3h ago
Afternoon summary
4h ago
London swelters during fifth heatwave of the summer - in pictures
4h ago
UK weather stations reporting temperatures of 37C and above for third time this year
5h ago
Greece battles gale force winds reigniting fears about wildfires
5h ago
Nurses fainting in ‘inhumane’ conditions due to extreme heat, union warns
6h ago
Ninth day of temperatures above 35C reported in England
7h ago
Fifth heatwave of summer hits England - in pictures
8h ago
Amber heat warning expanded into north west England
9h ago
Temperatures already reaching 30C in parts of England
9h ago
'Shattering' heat this summer is only a sign of things to come, former government scientific adviser warns
9h ago
135 million people in Europe are set to experience temperatures above 35C today
9h ago
Drought across Europe as extreme temperatures continue - in pictures
10h ago
Black Sea resort of Burgas picked to host 2027 Eurovision
10h ago
Temperatures in England could reach highs up to 38C, forecasters say
10h ago
Romania begins complete shutdown of its nuclear plant as Danube water levels drop further
11h ago
PM Burnham to consider ban on disposable barbecues as wildfires rage in UK

Several homes ablaze in West Midlands wildfire

Footage from Sky News shows several homes on fire in England’s West Midlands as firefighters tackle a large grassfire near a golfcourse in Stourbridge.

Stourbridge town hall has been set up as a rest centre for those fleeing their homes.

Smoke rises from trees and homes as firefighters tackle a blaze in the West Midlands. — The large fire near homes in Stourbridge, West Midlands. Photograph: West Midlands Fire Service/PA

“Transport is also being arranged for those who can’t make their own way,” West Midlands fire service said in a social media post.

“If you must drive, take extra care if you are driving, avoid areas of dense smoke, and please don’t head to areas where fires are taking place to watch.”

About 60 firefighters were on scene, the service said.

There was no immediate information ‌on injuries or damage to property.

The Met Office has released a few more details about what is now (provisionally) the UK’s fifth hottest day on record.

Earlier (16.24) we reported a provisional reading of 38.1C at Kew Gardens, which would make this the hottest day of the year so far.

The mercury also reached 38C in Pershore, Worcestershire. A total of 40 locations across central and southern England recorded temperatures of 36C or higher, the Met Office said.

A woman holds a black umbrella, shielding herself from the sun. Big Ben Tower is in the background. — A woman uses an umbrella to shield herself from the sun as temperatures reach 36C in central London. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

“This current spell of extreme heat is the latest in a remarkable summer,” said chief forecaster Neil Armstrong.

Temperatures will stay above 20C in London overnight, which the Met Office officially classifies as a “tropical night”.

Friday will be slightly cooler, although still forecast to reach highs of 34C in the south-east. Weekend temperatures will remain in the 30s before a gradual return to average next week, Armstrong said.

An aerial view of a beach in Cornwall, with blue water and people laid out under umbrellas on the sand. — People cool down at Carne Beach, Cornwall, as the UK records its hottest day of the year so far. Photograph: David Davies/PA

Firefighter injured, tourists flee as Greek wildfire descends on resort village

Famous for its pine forests and turquoise water, the Chalkidiki peninsula is teeming with tourists this time of year.

Now, many have been forced to flee the peninsula by land and sea.

People board two boats moored to a dock while smoke hangs in the air. — Tourists flee as Greek wildfire descends on resort village in Chalkidiki, Greece. Photograph: Alexandros Litsardakis/Reuters

Videos seen by Reuters showed people boarding dinghies and fire brigade boats in Siviri as the blaze ate through nearby forest and smoke enveloped the sky.

More ‌than 140 firefighters, nine aircraft and seven helicopters were deployed to battle flames raging on both sides of the main road, the local fire brigade said in a statement.

One firefighter was injured, Reuters reported.

Two firefighters blast water on the side of a hill ablaze with fire. — Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire in Siviri, on the Chalkidiki peninsula. Photograph: Giannis Papanikos/AP

“Our effort is focused on extinguishing the fire and the safe transport of people,” fire brigade spokesperson Giannis Artopios told Protothema news portal.

Two ⁠fire boats, private boats and the coastguard were involved in the evacuation, he said.

We now have some pictures coming through of that wildfire in northern Greece, which Greek media have reported as being out of control (16.20).

These pictures are from Siviri, a coastal holiday town south of Thessaloniki.

Three people run a hose from a red tank being pulled by a tractor. Smoke hangs in the air. — The wildfire has forced evacuations by land and sea on the peninsula, while some locals have joined the effort to contain the blaze. Photograph: Giannis Papanikos/AP

A woman walks along a road covering her face to protect herself from smoke. — A woman covers her face to protect herself from smoke. Photograph: Giannis Papanikos/AP

Smoke fills the air with flames in the distance encroaching on a small, white house among trees. — Flames bear down on a house in Siviri. Photograph: Giannis Papanikos/AP

Good afternoon. I’m Angus Thomson, taking over from Jakub Krupa.

Over in France, temperatures are nearing 40C in large parts of the country.

A farmer crops the land on a tractor, with dust flying in the air. — Farmers in France's Centre-Val de Loire region are facing declining crop yields as the current heatwave reaches into a third week. Photograph: Siccoli Patrick/SIPA/Shutterstock

It is currently 39C in Lyon, Nantes, Toulouse and Le Mans.

Paris is only a shade cooler at 37C.

French broadcaster BFM is reporting temperatures have exceeded 42C in two towns in western France.

France recorded its hottest day on record in June, with temperatures reaching 44C in Pissos, in the country’s south-west.

A woman stands holding a pink umbrella next to a pond. A fish is swimming past. There is a grand chateau in the background. — A tourist stands in the shade of an umbrella in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris on Wednesday. Photograph: Pierre Crom/Getty Images

As we reported earlier (12.35), the current heatwave is now the third longest period of extreme temperatures ever recorded in France.

Temperatures are, however, expected to ease over the weekend, Météo-France said.

38.1C reported in Kew Gardens, provisionally the hottest day of the year

There it is: the Met Office has just confirmed that it recorded a provisional reading of 38.1C at Kew Gardens, making it the hottest day of the year so far.

It’s the second time we reached 38C this year, it said, with the only other year where this has happened twice in 2022.

It is also the fifth hottest day on record ever, Met Office says.

The previous 2026 record of 38C was recorded on 28 June.

Massive fire reported in Chalkidiki as gale-force winds fuel blaze

Helena Smith

in Athens

As feared (16:05), gale force winds are fuelling a massive fire in Chalkidiki in northern Greece where flames have ripped through homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds of holiday makers from beaches.

Officials said 15 boats had removed tourists and locals from the sandy shores of Siviri on the Kassandra peninsular in Chalkidiki as a precautionary measure.

Greek media reported the fire as being out of control with fire fighters, forest commandos and an array of water- dumping aircraft trying to tame the flames.

Blazes, whipped by winds, were also raging in the Peloponnese and other parts of Greece with the civil protection minister Evangelos Tournas describing the weather conditions as “extreme.”

Vast swathes of Greece have been branded high fire risk and ‘red code’ on Friday when the gusts, already exceeding 100 km an hour, are expected to peak.

Afternoon summary

Jakub Krupa

Here is a summary of where we are at 4pm UK time (5pm CEST):

Charlwood and Pershore have provisionally reached 37.8C as large parts of England face another day of extreme temperatures during the fifth heatwave of the summer (16:34).
37.0C was also reported in Kew Gardens, west London.
Earlier today, a rare amber warning for extreme heat has been expanded to cover more of England, including parts in the north west of the country (13:01).
A former chief scientific adviser to the UK government has warned that the “shattering” heat was only a sign of things to come, with calls to accelerate climate adaptation policies (11:54).
High temperatures were also reported in France and Spain, amid concerns about the heat’s potential impact on wildfires recently reported in both countries (13:35, 15:52).
Greece was also on high alert for wildfires amid gale-force winds (16:11).
Overall, more than 135 million Europeans were expected to experience temperatures of 35C and above today (11:27).

London swelters during fifth heatwave of the summer - in pictures

A woman holding a fan walks across Waterloo Bridge, with the City of London financial district in the background, during a heatwave in London. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

A man walks, with the Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as Big Ben, visible in the background, during a heatwave in London, Britain. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

A man has had enough of this heat in in Trafalgar Square in London during the fifth heatwave of the season. Photograph: Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

UK weather stations reporting temperatures of 37C and above for third time this year

Back in the UK, the Met Office has just confirmed that several weather stations reported temperatures of 37C or above today, including in Kew Gardens in west London.

“Before 2026, the UK had recorded 37C or higher on only six occasions. This year alone, we’ve already reached that mark three times,” it added.

Visitors rest on lakeside benches, situated on an area of parched grass, at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in west London earlier this month. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Greece battles gale force winds reigniting fears about wildfires

Helena Smith

in Athens

Over in Greece, gale force winds are sweeping the country, putting fire fighting forces on high alert. Gusts of more than 100km an hour have been registered in Athens, across the Aegean, on the southern island of Crete and parts of mainland Greece, according to the national observatory.

Much of the Attica region surrounding the capital was put on high alert as fears of wildfires mounted on the back of the ‘hot, dry, windy’ weather.

As a precaution some of the famous hills of Athens, much loved by tourists, were closed to the public.

A local on motor bike with plumes of smoke in the hills behind them as firefighting teams try to stamp out pockets of fire in Psatha, Greece last week. Photograph: Byron Smith/Getty Images

The Etesian winds – otherwise known as the meltemia – are a summer trait widely regarded as both a blessing and a curse. While the northerly gusts bring respite, with a noticeable drop in the searing heat, they also play a key role in fuelling forest fires.

Convening in emergency session today, Greece’s civil protection body warned that on Friday when the gale force winds are expected to peak, the threat of wild fires across at least five regions of the country would be at their highest.

As the UK and other parts of western Europe bear the brunt of a fifth heatwave this summer – with the mercury hitting 27C in Edinburgh, the Athens if the north – the contrast with the east continues. Showers are forecast in some parts of Greece in the coming days.

Over in France, professional firefighters’ unions held talks with interior minister Laurent Nuñez today to discuss their needs following recent wildfires across the country.

The unions are growing concerned about insufficient staffing levels and a lack of resources available to them.

Demands are displayed on banners hung on the facade of the Atlanta fire station in Toulouse, southern France. Photograph: Fred Scheiber/SIPA/Shutterstock

Union representatives said they were “very disappointed” with the discussions, and called for “an intensive mobilisation” and a protest in Paris at the end of September, Le Figaro and BFM TV reported.

A union spokesperson said the service “cannot indefinitely compensate for the shortcomings of the system that has long reached its saturation point,” as he called for more resources to be directed to “protect French citizens.”

But interior minister Laurent Nuñez said on social media “the time has now come for action,” as he pledged to “continue the dialogue in a constructive and respectful spirit.”

Nurses fainting in ‘inhumane’ conditions due to extreme heat, union warns

Peter Walker, Tobi Thomas and Aletha Adu

Nurses are collapsing during shifts amid “inhumane and impossible” conditions caused by extreme heat, their union has warned, as Andy Burnham promised to grapple with “the bigger questions” of climate adaptation.

The Royal College of Nursing said that members were left dizzy, nauseous or at risk of fainting while dripping with sweat ‘from head to toe’. Photograph: sturti/Getty Images

Amid growing pressure from Labour backbenches to fully acknowledge the urgency of adaptation measures as the climate crisis bites, Burnham said he was for now focusing on the immediate crises caused by an ongoing summer of extreme heat.

Speaking after a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee, Burnham refused to say if the summer had made the case against renewed drilling in the North Sea, which his government is considering.

“It is really important that we deal today with the situation that we are in right now and we focus on making sure that we have the serious incidents under control across the country, and those incidents are under control,” he said.

“The bigger questions obviously will come at the right moment in time,” he added.

An amber warning for heat across large parts of England will come into force again on Thursday morning, with temperatures forecast to reach 36C or potentially higher.

Train passengers on some networks are being warned by rail operators to only travel if the journey is vital, saying services are likely to be disrupted because of the weather.

Ninth day of temperatures above 35C reported in England

The Met Office said that by midday temperatures had reached 36.4C at Charlwood in Surrey, while at Wisley temperatures had hit 35.1C, and a number of other spots were above 34C, including Westonbirt in Gloucestershire and Heathrow, west London, PA reported.

It makes it provisionally the ninth day in 2026 where temperatures are above 35C, the Met Office said, extending this year’s record number of days at or above 35C.

Fifth heatwave of summer hits England - in pictures

A general view of London's skyline in Primrose Hill during the heatwave in London. Photograph: James Veysey/Shutterstock

A woman covers from the sun with an umbrella during a heatwave in London, Britain. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

Cattle on Dorney Common, Buckinghamshire in the blazing heat try to graze on non existent grass. Photograph: Maureen McLean/Shutterstock

Meanwhile, Le Figaro is reporting that with the current heatwave extending into its 17th day, it is now the third longest period of extreme temperatures ever recorded in France.

It’s 38C in Bordeaux and Nantes, 36C in Paris, and 34C in Montpellier at the moment.

The temperatures are only expected to start falling over the weekend, it said.

Amber heat warning expanded into north west England

And a rare amber warning for “extreme heat” has been expanded to cover more of England, as the UK could see the hottest day of the year so far, PA said.

The warning, already covering large part of the country, has been expanded into North West England to cover parts of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, into Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in the south-west and Shropshire and Herefordshire in the west.

Even the athletes taking part in the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham are feeling the heat today…

An athlete protects herself from the sun at the European Athletics Championships Birmingham 2026, in Birmingham, Britain. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA