People in parts of Europe have been experiencing heat waves starting from May 21st. These heatwaves have been caused by human-created climate change, atmospheric high pressure, and hot air advection. Southern Europe, Italy, and Greece are some of the most affected countries in Europe.

The highest temperature recorded in the 2026 heatwaves of Europe is currently 46.5 degrees at Noto in Sicily, Italy, though Europe’s all-time record is still 48.8 degrees.

This heatwave affected Europe because only 23 percent of houses in Europe have air-conditioning. This is important because it would be difficult for people to cool down inside.

Famous rivers like the Danube river in Central and Eastern Europe have dried up, causing cargo boats to sink in such little water. The boats had to stop working. In addition, the scorching heat destroyed useful and critical crops so the cost of food in stores escalated. Nuclear power plants need cold water to keep the machines from overheating and because the rivers all dried up or got warm, the power plants had to be shut down.

Doctors say that over 30,000 people died from the extreme heat the waves caused. Thousands of people suffered severely from heatstroke. Also, turned unbearable.

Even through the sweltering heat, people in Europe have changes some things to help them cool off, like public cooling centers and fountains for water.