Heat has already been building. On Wednesday, Madrid rose to around 105 (40.5 Celsius). The State Meteorological Agency called it the earliest major heat wave in more than 40 years. Similar temperatures were seen across the area Thursday, with official numbers still being tabulated.
Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain, had one of its hottest days on record Thursday, with a scorching 109 degrees (43.1 Celsius). Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, France, hit 104 degrees (40 Celsius) on Thursday — the earliest the country has hit that high temperature in recorded history.
The heat comes after other major preseason heat events in Europe during May. Spain and France both recorded their hottest May on record.
Locations in Poland, Austria and perhaps even Russia or Ukraine may experience abnormally high temperatures by early next week.
Daytime readings are likely to soar as high as 25 to 35 degrees (15 to 20 Celsius) above normal the next several days across a large chunk of the continent. The most expansive day of debilitating heat may be Saturday, with absurdly high readings stretching from Spain to Poland.
Forecast readings a few thousand feet off the ground are predicted to be in the 99th percentile or greater for much of Western Europe. A snapshot for Saturday, below, focuses on France.
Scott Duncan, a meteorologist based in Scotland, tweeted that the event could be “one of the most profound heat waves in French history. An immense number of records are about to fall.”