Hundreds of records set — period of record heat expected next several days in central Canada and parts of northern US
May 27, 2026
Just two months after the western United States saw an incredible March heat wave that saw dozens of locations reach monthly record high temperatures — and in a few cases temperatures that were higher than April and in a few cases May records — western Europe is seeing a very similar type heat wave here in last May. As this loop from CoolWx.com shows, record high temperatures began being reached last Thursday May 21, and recent days have seen many locations exceeding their prior May record max temperature.
Ground zero for this incredible heatwave has been the United Kingdom and France. The UK set a new national record May high minimum three mornings in a row through today, and set new national May record high maximum temperatures Monday and Tuesday. Numerous locations reached the prior monthly national maximum record (32.8C) each day. Kew Gardens near London reached 35.1C (95F), exceeding its previous May record (29.3C) by an incredible nearly 6C and the prior national record by nearly 3C.
The climate site at Oxford — one of the longest continuous sites in the UK, with records back to 1815 — reached 33.7C (93F), breaking its all-time monthly record by more than 3C. The Channel Islands saw national record high maximum temperatures set three days in a row, with the observatory at Maison St. Louis — with records back more than 130 years) — reaching 34.2C (94F) on Tuesday, more than 5C above its prior monthly record and even above its June record. The incredible margins by which these old monthly May records are being shattered is truly incredible.
France, Austria, Luxemburg and western Germany have also seen hundreds of daily and monthly record high maximum and minimum temperatures in the last several days, with high temperatures as high as 100F and “tropical nights” with lows at or above 70F. As noted by climatologist M. Herrera on his Extreme Temperatures Around the World BlueSky account, some locations here have broken their records by as much as 7C. This record heat wave will continue another day or two before temperatures finally start to gradually come down.
Western Europe is not the only location baking under record heat, and I encourage you to explore the Extreme Temperatures BlueSky feed for details on other locations such as eastern Asia, central America and the Middle East. Under the anomalous upper level ridge of high pressure anchoring the omega block jet stream pattern over North America, a several day period of record heat is ongoing across central Canada and adjoining portions of the northern US. The hottest location in the US on Tuesday was near Poplar, MT, reaching 102F.
Balanced Weather 
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