A blocking area of high pressure will cause intense heat to build over Europe and parts of the UK through the weekend and next week, with temperatures to climb 10°C, or more, above average in some places. This heat will also help trigger thunderstorms, which could become severe.

Changing weather pattern causing heat to build

After the recording-breaking heat for parts of the UK towards the end of May, the weather took on a more typical ‘westerly’ type in early June. This brought welcome bouts of rain to areas which had a very dry spring. Indeed, some places have seen more rainfall so far in June than in the whole of spring.

Over the next few days, the ‘Azores High’ – an area of high pressure which, climatologically-speaking, often resides close to the Azores – will migrate towards western Europe. As this high becomes established, heat will build across much of Europe, particularly in the west, and into portions of the UK.

Extreme heat in mainland Europe and parts of the UK

Much of mainland Europe will be very warm or hot this weekend and much, if not all, of the following week, with heat stress to people and infrastructure a notable risk. Paris is expected to see temperatures exceed 30°C each day for at least the next 11 days, while parts of France could exceed 40°C next week.

Temperatures will be 6-10°C, and more, above average across a broad swath of the continent, extending into central and southern parts of the UK too. While the peak of the heat will occur over mainland Europe, the UK has a fair chance of beating its June record, which currently stands at 35.6°C, from the infamous summer of 1976.

Image: Forecast temperature anomaly over Europe between Saturday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Source: DTN.

The big question for the UK is how much it will ‘tap in’ to the heat. The UK will be caught at the edge hot air mass centred above mainland Europe. This means parts of the UK will experience bouts of heat over the coming week, most likely in the southeast, while other areas will be cooler.

The heat will help produce thunderstorms across parts of Europe this weekend, with the southern half of the UK perhaps getting in on this early next week. Where storms do form in the UK and mainland Europe, high instability should lead to a few severe thunderstorms, with large hail and strong gusts both a risk.