New York City saw flash flooding on Wednesday, as large parts of Brooklyn and Queens received about 2in (50mm) of rainfall in as little as 20 minutes. Officials said the deluge caused water to flow into the sewer system at a rate of up to 6in an hour, quickly overwhelming an aged network that was designed to accommodate just 1.75in an hour.

Residents and commuters found themselves wading knee-deep through flood water that flowed with dangerous speed in places. One video showed a woman alighting from a bus losing her footing and being dragged along by the torrent of water. Several major roads were blocked, including the Long Island Expressway, and subway services were disrupted as water spilled into stations. Large amounts of mud and other debris was left behind; videos showed bags of rubbish being swept down streets along with loose litter.

The downpours were part of a series of storms affecting New Jersey and New York states, with strong gusts also causing damage and disruption. Several trees and power lines were brought down, and at one point on Wednesday night more than 10,000 people were without power.

Meanwhile, western Europe is sweltering under a heat dome – warm air trapped under a strong area of persistent high pressure. The first major heat event of 2026 has come unusually early: temperatures in May rarely rise above 30C as far north as the UK, France and Germany, large parts of which are experiencing temperatures 10-15C above the climate average. Monday and Tuesday will be the peak of the heatwave in some ways, with temperatures most widely above average at this time, before the worst of the heat becomes more confined to France and Iberia later this week.

France has already broken its May record of 30.5C, as temperatures have peaked in the low 30s each day since Thursday, and higher is still to come. Temperatures more than 10C above average are expected in places until the weekend and parts of the south-west could reach 37-38C.

Spain and Portugal have not threatened their May records (44.4C and 40.0C respectively) and are unlikely to do so, but they will have the most prolonged hot spell. Across the end of May and first part of June, temperatures will remain widely 5-10C above average across Iberia. Temperatures have peaked in the high 30s each day since Thursday and are forecast to continue doing so.