Europe decided to skip spring and go straight to 'surface of the sun' this week, as a persistent heat dome shattered temperature records across the continent. The UK broke its May maximum temperature record on Tuesday, with 35.1C recorded at Kew Gardens, London - topping the previous record of 34.8C set just the day before in London. Before that, the record stood at 32.8C, set in 1922 and matched in 1944, making this a century in the making. Ireland also got in on the action, recording 28.8C at two weather stations in Killarney and Clonmel, breaking its own May maximum.
But it wasn't just daytime highs that got smashed; minimum temperatures also fell - or rather, failed to fall - on three consecutive nights. On Tuesday, Camborne in south-west England only dipped to 21.4C, marking a tropical night where temperatures stayed above 20C. Meanwhile, France hit 36C on Monday and Tuesday, making those the hottest May days on record. A French government spokesperson noted that the heat has been linked to seven deaths, either directly or indirectly - a grim reminder that even record-breaking warmth comes with a cost.
Across parts of Europe, temperatures are running 10-15C above average for this time of year. They'll stay 5-10C above average through the rest of the week, though the UK can expect a gradual cooldown into next week - assuming the weather remembers it's supposed to be May.
In Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued severe thunderstorm warnings for south-eastern and eastern Australia, with damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and hail expected. Flash flood warnings are also in place. Dayboro, Queensland, recorded 50mm of rain within 30 minutes on Wednesday, while Narrabi, New South Wales, saw a wind gust of 65mph (104kph). The BoM warns that six-hourly rainfall totals could reach 40-70mm, with locally up to 100mm for the Mid North Coast, Upper Hunter, and adjacent districts in New South Wales by week's end. So, Europe is baking, Australia is drowning, and the weather is clearly not taking requests.