June 2026 – Week 4

By Anders Lorenzen

In this week’s live blog, we are taking a broader look across climate and energy, covering the key news, developments and comments.

As part of an expanded focus on real-time coverage, this live blog will continue to track developments across global energy markets, including electricity prices, oil and gas benchmarks, and renewable generation trends. But we will also track key climate news and events, including impacts such as extreme weather events as they happen.

It is updated every day throughout the week with the most significant developments around energy and climate.

Last week’s live blog can be found here.

Latest

Sunday 28th of June 2026

20:45 GMT

Temperature records: As the European heatwave moves north and east, new temperature records are set.

Today Germany set a new all-time high of 41.7 °C which was recorded in at a weather station in Coschen, near the Polish border in eastern Brandenburg. It was the third consecutive day Germany had set new all-time highs as 41.3 °C was measured on the 26th, then followed by 41.5 °C on the 27th and 41.7 °C today. Prior to this week’s highs the previous high was 41.2 °C which was set in 2019 in the city of Lingen in the west of the country close to the Dutch border.

The Czech Republic also set a new all-time high as a weather station in Doksany north of Prague measured 40.8 °C – beating the previous record of 40.4 °C, set in Dobřichovice on 20 August 2012

Denmark also set a new all-time high as 37.0 °C was recorded in Odum near Aarhus, beating the previous all time high of 36.4 °C set in 1976.

Friday 26th of June 2026

17:55 GMT

Temperature records: On two occasions today has the UK set an all-time new temperature high for June, and it is therefore also the third consecutive day where the country has recorded a new all-time high reading.

In Santon Downham in Surrey, 37.3 °C was measured this afternoon.

11:50 GMT

Fatalities: While data is still preliminary and rapidly changing, it is certain it has come with very high fatalities.

Spain are paying a huge costs as the lives of over 200 people have so far been estimated to have been lost as a result of the June heatwave.

11:45 GMT

Extreme heat: Several other European temperature records have also been set in recent days.

In Switzerland, the 37 °C threshold was exceeded for the first time ever in June with 38 °C measured at the Basel weather station, beaten the previous record 36.9 °C which had stood since 1947.

11:30 GMT

Extreme heat: The UK are bracing for another day with extreme heat as the 30 °C was breached already at 9:00 this morning in Heathrow, West London.

This prompts speculation whether we are in for another temperature record being set today.

Forecasters are not predicting it, though still within the realms of possibility as BBC weather forecaster Guy Fawkes say that temperatures in the region of 35 °C to 37 °C this afternoon in south-east England.

11:15 GMT

Extreme heat: For two successive dates, the UK have set new all time-high June temperature records.

On Wednesday Gosport in Hampshire recorded 36.1 °C beating the 1976 record of 35.6 °C set in Southampton.

This was beaten the following day as on Thursday 36.7 °C was measured in Merryfield in Somerset, meaning over two days the 1976 was not just beaten but beaten significantly with over a degree.

Wednesday 24th of June 2026

12:00 GMT

Extreme heat: The UN body, the World Health Organisation (WHO), has issued a severe warning about the European heatwave. It’s head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said:

Europe’s heatwave is closing schools and putting people’s health at risk. The data are clear: temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme heat in the future. We cannot afford further delay. Leaders must prioritise investment in climate-resilient health systems, while also accelerating climate action and mitigating the drivers of the climate crisis.

11:50 GMT

Extreme heat: UK weather forecasters remain convinced that the country’s all-time high UK temperature will not only be beaten today, but beaten by some distance.

The Met Office forecasts that temperatures around 39 °C in the southern England region today, and locally could locally ince very close to the threshold of 40 °C, a threshold only reached once before, in 2022.

11:45 GMT

Extreme heat: France continue to write all the big headlines in this extreme European heatwave, and yesterday they set not only an all-time high June high temperature but an all-time high surging well above 40 °C.

Météo-France said 44.3 °C was measured in Pissos (Landes).

Additionally 54 departments was placed under red heat alerts.

The extreme heat has come with fatal consequences as from drowning alone, the heatwave in France have claimed the lives of at least 40 people since the 18th of june.

Tuesday 23rd of June 2026

16:15 GMT

Politics: The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has used a visit to the London Climate Action Week today to warn about the dangerous impacts of climate change:

Climate chaos is accelerating before our eyes, fuelled by war in the Middle East, and is exposing the folly of a world hooked on hydrocarbons

16:10 GMT

Extreme heat: More tragic news coming in from France as the French government has said that since Thursday last week, 40 people have died due to drowning in events that are being attributed to the heatwave.

This has prompted the French Sports and Youth Minister, Marina Ferrari, to issue the following warning:

It’s not something to be taken lightly, going swimming in unsupervised areas during a heatwave

11:05 GMT

Extreme heat: France has paid a high human cost for the extreme heat as the heatwave that has now lasted for a week in the country has claimed the lives of 18 people.

Earlier updates

11:00 GMT

Extreme heat: Several new temperature records could be set in the UK today.

The two UK temperature thresholds that would most certainly be beaten today:

35.1 °C – The highest temperature recorded this year, measured in Kew Gardens during last month’s May heatwave.

35.6 °C – The highest ever June temperature on record – set on 29 June 1957 at Camden Square in London, then equalled on 28 June 1976 at Mayflower Park in Southampton.

10:50 GMT

Extreme heat: In the UK’s capital, London, emergency fire services had a surge of call-outs after lightning strikes spiked fire risks.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it had responded to around 400 calls overnight, including two house fires believed to be caused by lightning strikes and flooding of homes.

After the build-up of extreme heat, thunderstorms caused flash flooding in the across the capital.

According to the UK Met Office, 29,074 lightning strikes were recorded in the UK in the last 24 hours to 9:00 Tuesday morning.

10:45 GMT

Extreme heat: Meteo France, the national weather agency in France, has said the country experienced its hottest night since measurements started in 1947.

Preliminary figures taken Tuesday morning show that the average readings from 30 stations across the country, also known as the national temperature indicator, reached 21.6 °C., beating the previous record of 21.4 °C, set on July 25, 2019.

Monday 22nd of June 2026

16:00 GMT

Extreme heat: In southern Europe, temperatures are expected to reach even higher levels this week, with the mercury expected to reach as high as 43 °C in France and 45 °C in Spain.

11:30 GMT

Extreme heat: The UK braces for the impacts of extreme heat, as the Met Office warned of record-breaking extreme heat conditions this week, with forecasts as high as 38 °C.

The forecast from the independent weather forecaster and scientific body say the extreme heat conditions could last until Thursday prompting severe health concerns for elderly and vulnerable people.

The Met Office say they’re confident that we will break the record-high June record of 35.6 °C set in the record-breaking summer of 1976.

Sunday 22nd of June 2026

22:20 GMT

Oil price: Markets could be braced for a turbulent Monday, as the barely week-old peace agreement between the US and Iran is already in doubt. Iran has accused the US of breaching the ceasefire and has again closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Thursday 18th of June 2026

23:55 GMT

Heatwave: Several European countries are entering heatwave conditions yet again.

The French authorities have released 53 heatwave warnings this Friday.