Europe’s heatwave seen by European Research Infrastructures
Since the middle of May 2026, Europe has been subject to successive and intense heatwaves. IAGOS and partner infrastructures ACTRIS and ICOS have been monitoring these heatwaves. The temperatures recorded by IAGOS can be seen above. The two figures show the gradient of temperature from the surface to 11km measured by the IAGOS aircraft at Paris and Frankfurt. Two successive heatwaves can be seen between the end of May and June with a small time delay between Paris and Frankfurt due to the heat dome moving slowly eastwards. The temperatures are elevated in an atmospheric layer extending to more than 3km comparable with the heatwave in 2003 (Tressol et al 2028). It is not until 8km in altitude, that the effects of the heat dome are no longer visible.
Further reading (in French): https://www.insu.cnrs.fr/fr/cnrsinfo/analyse-croisee-des-donnees-collectees-sur-la-vague-de-chaleur-du-mois-de-juin-2026
