Late May is supposed to feel like spring. Across parts of Europe, it's increasingly starting to resemble midsummer.

Spain is forecast to reach nearly 40 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas, and the United Kingdom recently set May temperature records, as the Guardian reported.

What's Happening?

As Euronews detailed, experts say that this sort of early-season heat is no longer some bizarre fluke and is instead the new normal. Weather agencies across Europe are bracing for unusually high temperatures for this time of year. That includes not just Spain and the U.K., but also Germany, France, and Italy, among others, per Euronews.

Some Spanish regions are also bracing for so-called tropical nights, when temperatures remain high even after sunset. The event has not yet been classified as an official heat wave, but that might just be a matter of time, Euronews noted.

Ionna Vergini, founder of world weather forecast WFY24, told Euronews the issue is not one extreme event, but rather the increasing frequency of unusual warm spring conditions in areas like Germany.

"That kind of shift in the underlying distribution is what 'new normal' actually means," she told the outlet.  "It isn't about one extreme event, it's the temperature curve itself moving," 

Why Does It Matter?

Vergini cautioned Euronews that many of those systems remain "calibrated to the old calendar," leaving countries exposed when dangerous heat arrives weeks ahead of schedule.

Worsening extreme weather can increase heat illness, strain emergency rooms, disrupt rail and power systems, damage crops, and drive up cooling costs for families and businesses. It can also threaten public safety, especially for older adults, infants, outdoor workers, and people with underlying health conditions.

Researchers at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that climate change accounted for 68% of an estimated 24,400 heat deaths across 854 European cities last summer, Euronews reported. 

The outlet reported that human pollution from coal, oil, and gas remains the main driver of that warming trend. There are also knock-on risks that extend beyond the heat itself. Warmer air holds more moisture, which can help fuel heavier rainfall and flooding after hot periods.

What's Being Done?

Some European cities are beginning to treat extreme heat less like a routine weather story and more like a public health emergency. Spain expanded climate shelters in public buildings, building on local programs in places such as Barcelona.

Other cities are trying new approaches, per Euronews. Athens appointed Europe's first Chief Heat Officer to coordinate heat planning across departments, while Paris ran a "Paris at 50 C" emergency exercise to stress-test schools, health systems, infrastructure, and public spaces against future temperature extremes.

In the U.K., Euronews reported that a new National Heat Risk Commission was launched to advise on how governments can reduce the risks posed by rising temperatures.

"The countries that will fare best in the coming decade are not the ones with the most money," Vergini argued to Euronews. "They are the ones that treat heat as a public health emergency rather than a weather story."

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