Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka lies on the court as he plays against Netherlands' Jesper De Jong during their men's singles match on day 2 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Simonne-Mathieu at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on May 25, 2026. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Several of my favorite players are playing in the first week of the French Open as I write this piece. During the Naomi Osaka match, the announcer commented on how hot it was. He was not exaggerating.

Temperatures are currently near 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which translates to 32.2 degrees Celsius for European readers. Players like Osaka and Coco Gauff, who is playing Taylor Townsend right now, often play in such temperatures. However, it’s not typically this hot in Paris, France in May. What’s causing the record heat in western Europe right now?

The answer is a heat dome. “A heat dome occurs when a persistent region of high-pressure traps heat over a particular area, and it can linger for days to weeks,” explains NOAA’s website. “Heat domes are typically linked to the behavior of the jet stream, which is a band of fast-moving winds high in the atmosphere that move in meandering wavelike patterns." To make matters worse, air sinks in such heat domes and can warm even more due to something called adiabatic compression.

According to the Associated Press, the French national weather service confirmed that temperatures are shattering records for the month of May. Temperatures Tuesday afternoon were well past 86 degrees Fahrenheit or 30 degrees Celsius. The heat is taking its toll, as AP also reported the death of a runner that could be related to the extreme heat. According to AP, the United Kingdom already broke its record for the hottest temperature observed during the month of May.

To be clear, this type of heat would be extreme in the middle of summer. It’s May. My cousin Felicia Henderson is an organizational culture consultant who resides in Paris. She tagged me in a BlueSky post and said, “France is under a heat dome this week. Brutal start for the start of #RolandGarros.” Temperatures are predicted to reach near 90 degrees Fahrenheit through the weekend.

I still remember the brutal heat wave of the early 2000s that killed thousands of people. Many homes and facilities do not have air conditioning. Additionally, such heat this early in the season can create challenges for people who have not properly adjusted to such temperatures.

Studies continue to show that extreme heat is amplified by a warming climate, so this may be a sign of things to come: Previously, I wrote about how climate warming is limiting options for the Winter Olympics. FIFA is also concerned about heat as it kicks off its World Cup.