Parts of Europe burn as millions are facing record heat

Children refresh themselves at a fountain in Reims, northern France, as a heatwave hits France. France has experienced a dramatic surge in temperatures, with over 175 weather stations recording temperatures above 41 °C, and 52 all-time high temperature records set in a single day on August 11.

These extremes are part of an intense heat dome that has lingered over Western Europe since late July. Above, visitors walk past the Paris 2024 Olympic cauldron designed by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur in Paris amid a heatwave in Europe.

A woman and a child cool their hands in the Fontaine des Mers fountain spraying water at the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire in Trancoso, Portugal on August 12, 2025.

People swim at the Bras Marie safe bathing site on the river Seine in Paris on August 12, 2025.

Tourists cool off in the Trocadero Fountain, in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

People cool off under showers at Paris Plage along the Seine river in Paris.

Scientists warn Europe is warming at nearly twice the global rate, with 2025 set to be among the hottest years ever recorded.

A pharmacy sign indicates a temperature of 45°C in Toulouse, southwestern France.