Just two weeks after an unusually early and severe heat wave, Western Europe has been hit by another round of scorching weather, with temperatures expected to reach 113 degrees Fahrenheit by the weekend.
Hot, dry air from North Africa has formed a dome over the Iberian Peninsula, trapping and pushing heat toward France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, where temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or higher are expected to persist through next week. The high temperatures are a shock to residents, and also to many tourists who had avoided traveling in July and August because of the heat and expected milder conditions in Western Europe so early in the season.
A heat wave in late May broke records across the region, with Britain, France, Ireland and Portugal all experiencing their highest temperatures ever recorded in May.
“London in May is supposed to be between 60 and 70 degrees with rain,” said Melanie Goldstein, 54, from North Carolina, who visited with her husband during the heat wave in May, when temperatures reached around 95 degrees. “We planned to walk and cycle around the city, but it was unbearable because there was no wind. It felt a lot hotter than it was.”
One of the biggest challenges of dealing with the summer heat is the rarity of air-conditioning in Western Europe. Traditionally mild summer conditions and strict building regulations make installation both difficult and costly. Outside four- and five-star hotels, a few modern developments, and some museums and restaurants, most places simply do not have it.
“Our hotel room had a small fan, but that was just blowing hot air around the room,” Ms. Goldstein said. The couple had traveled in recent summers to Italy and Greece, where temperatures were even higher, “but at least there was the ocean and A.C.,” she said.
The heat wave this week is expected to be more intense and widespread than in May. In France, temperatures are forecast to peak at 104 degrees over the weekend, prompting the mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, to allow swimming in the Canal St.-Martin from Wednesday.
Sophie Gacheny, an independent tour guide based in the city, has already started adapting itineraries to give her clients as much respite from the heat as possible. “I avoid crowded areas and use the covered passages and shaded areas to get across the city,” she said. Her walking tours have portions that focus on food, which allows visitors to rest and hydrate indoors and in shaded areas. “The biggest challenge is the must-see sites like the Louvre, which gets too hot and crowded,” she said.
Lauren Hedges, 39, an engineer from London, had planned to travel to Germany this weekend, but after seeing the forecast, she has decided to go to Interlaken, Switzerland, where temperatures are around 10 degrees cooler because of higher altitudes.
“We had planned to hike with friends, but it’s just going to be miserable in the heat,” she said. “London also looks like it will be baking, so we might as well make the most of the cool lakes before we head back.”
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