https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed France experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, marked by heatwaves, drought and massive wildfires, the environment minister said on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260903/france-recorded-hottest-summer-ever-environment-minister Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:59:51 +0200 france-recorded-hottest-summer-ever-environment-minister Millions of people across Europe -- particularly in France, Italy, Spain and Britain -- baked through a new wave of extreme temperatures Thursday as the continent's latest heatwave picked up. https://www.thelocal.com/20260812/europes-latest-heatwave-more-than-90-million-set-for-plus-35c-temperatures Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:42:33 +0200 europes-latest-heatwave-more-than-90-million-set-for-plus-35c-temperatures With scorching temperatures breaking records across Europe this summer, The Local has put together tried and tested tips for surviving heatwaves from southern Europe, where locals have had decades of practice coping with the heat. https://www.thelocal.com/20260810/gelato-for-lunch-bedlinen-in-the-freezer-heatwave-tips-from-southern-europe Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:46:06 +0200 gelato-for-lunch-bedlinen-in-the-freezer-heatwave-tips-from-southern-europe Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record as climate change fuels an historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU's global warming monitor said Monday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260810/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:35:47 +0200 western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record Summers in France have always been hot, especially in the south, so do the latest wave of extreme weather warnings really mark a rise in temperatures? Or just a change in weather forecasting techniques and media attention? https://www.thelocal.com/20250715/are-summers-in-france-really-getting-hotter Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:47:44 +0200 are-summers-in-france-really-getting-hotter More and more tourists from southern Europe – particularly France and Spain – are heading to Sweden to experience a cooler summer, according to new data from the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Development. https://www.thelocal.com/20260730/tourists-from-france-and-spain-flock-to-sweden-for-cooler-summer Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:55:23 +0200 tourists-from-france-and-spain-flock-to-sweden-for-cooler-summer France, like its Mediterranean neighbours, is seeing an increasing number of severe wildfires, with thousands of hectares burned already this summer. https://www.thelocal.com/20230727/do-heatwaves-cause-wildfires-in-france Thu, 27 Jul 2023 17:07:57 +0200 do-heatwaves-cause-wildfires-in-france When heatwaves strike, Paris is not usually the hottest part of France - but the capital is over-represented when it comes to excess deaths during hot weather. Here's a look at what makes heat so dangerous in Paris. https://www.thelocal.com/20260717/why-is-paris-so-dangerous-during-a-heatwave Fri, 17 Jul 2026 16:39:22 +0200 why-is-paris-so-dangerous-during-a-heatwave Europe is still taking stock of a powerful heatwave in late June but experts are already confident it ranks among the worst ever recorded -- even rivalling a freak 2003 episode. https://www.thelocal.com/20260704/one-for-the-history-books-what-we-know-about-the-european-heatwave Sat, 04 Jul 2026 09:32:47 +0200 one-for-the-history-books-what-we-know-about-the-european-heatwave Tens of millions are braving a weekend of extreme temperatures in Europe as a deadly heatwave moves eastwards, with some countries announcing rising death tolls and health services warning of saturation. https://www.thelocal.com/20260628/records-tumble-as-european-heatwave-moves-east Sun, 28 Jun 2026 07:03:28 +0200 records-tumble-as-european-heatwave-moves-east The heatwave battering Europe may have an unlikely partner-in-crime: a patch of cold ocean water south of Iceland and Greenland that can influence weather patterns over the continent. https://www.thelocal.com/20260626/european-heatwaves-unlikely-accomplice-is-an-ocean-cold-blob Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:20:28 +0200 european-heatwaves-unlikely-accomplice-is-an-ocean-cold-blob As France prepares for its second weekend of scorching temperatures, local authorities across the country are banning the sale of alcohol while festivals, events and sports fixtures have been cancelled. https://www.thelocal.com/20260626/alcohol-bans-and-festival-cancellations-as-france-heads-into-second-heatwave-weekend Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:52:29 +0200 alcohol-bans-and-festival-cancellations-as-france-heads-into-second-heatwave-weekend As France sizzles under the heatwave, a video has gone viral of a man on the rooftop of a Paris apartment cooking a crêpe using only the power of the sun. https://www.thelocal.com/20260626/video-why-paris-zinc-rooftops-are-hot-enough-to-cook-a-crepe Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:20:18 +0200 video-why-paris-zinc-rooftops-are-hot-enough-to-cook-a-crepe People in Austria have been sweltering in the last days as a heatwave grips Europe. It's expected to get even hotter, with temperatures forecast to reach 41C in some places. https://www.thelocal.com/20260626/maps-austria-on-extreme-heat-alert-as-temperatures-forecast-to-rise-above-40c Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:01:36 +0200 maps-austria-on-extreme-heat-alert-as-temperatures-forecast-to-rise-above-40c Human-caused climate change is "unequivocally" responsible for the intensity of a record-breaking heatwave scorching Europe, scientists said Friday, while experts consider the costs for an economy as productivity melts and growth becomes lethargic. https://www.thelocal.com/20260626/climate-change-to-blame-as-heatwave-hits-europes-economies Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:44:21 +0200 climate-change-to-blame-as-heatwave-hits-europes-economies At least 101 million Europeans were expected to experience temperatures of over 35C on Thursday, in a punishing and increasingly deadly heatwave hotter than weather in parts of Africa. https://www.thelocal.com/20260625/latest-more-than-100-million-europeans-suffer-in-temperatures-above-35c Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:45:56 +0200 latest-more-than-100-million-europeans-suffer-in-temperatures-above-35c In other parts of the world, 25C (77F) is an average summer’s day, so why do Swedes feel the heat more, and what can be done to mitigate the effect of heatwaves in the future? https://www.thelocal.com/20240626/why-are-temperatures-of-25c-considered-a-heatwave-in-sweden Wed, 26 Jun 2024 15:07:50 +0200 why-are-temperatures-of-25c-considered-a-heatwave-in-sweden The latest heatwave sweeping across Europe is a stark reminder that it is the world's fastest-warming continent, stretching into an Arctic that is heating at an even greater pace https://www.thelocal.com/20260624/explained-why-europe-is-the-worlds-fastest-warming-continent Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:42:20 +0200 explained-why-europe-is-the-worlds-fastest-warming-continent France's heatwaves always spark debates on air conditioning - which much of the country remains deeply resistant to. Some argue that warming temperatures make widespread AC inevitable, but The Local's editor Emma Pearson explains why she thinks the French are right to resist. https://www.thelocal.com/20250707/opinion-the-french-are-right-to-shun-air-conditioning-even-during-heatwaves Mon, 07 Jul 2025 11:31:35 +0200 opinion-the-french-are-right-to-shun-air-conditioning-even-during-heatwaves Two children, aged two and four, were found dead in their family's car in southeastern France on Monday as temperatures soared across large parts of the country, the local prosecutor said. https://www.thelocal.com/20260622/breaking-two-children-found-dead-in-car-during-france-heatwave Mon, 22 Jun 2026 16:07:19 +0200 breaking-two-children-found-dead-in-car-during-france-heatwave