Europe is facing an extreme heatwave while Greece has so far emerged relatively unscathed from one of the continent’s most severe weather events in recent memory. While temperatures in France and Germany soared to 44 degrees Celsius, Greece recorded highs of just 34 degrees — a stark contrast that highlights the uneven impact of the crisis. The situation is made significantly worse by the fact that air conditioning is not widely available in the affected countries, turning entire cities into sweltering ovens and producing unprecedented scenes that have gone viral across the internet.
Heatwave chaos: Traffic lights begin melting and warping under the scorching sun
In Verona and Berlin, traffic lights have started to melt and deform under the intense heat, creating a bizarre and deeply unsettling sight for residents and authorities alike.
Italy 🇮🇹 is sweltering under an intense heatwave 🥵 as extreme temperatures strain infrastructure and put millions on alert.#Heatwave #italy #globalwarming pic.twitter.com/VFP4QmbSRH
— sustainme.in®️ (@sustainme_in) June 27, 2026
In other cases, asphalt has begun to soften and buckle under the extreme heat, causing serious disruptions to road traffic and urban infrastructure.
In France, the heatwave is already wreaking havoc on critical infrastructure, with widespread train delays, power outages, and significant cuts to electricity production — even the national power grid is being pushed to its limits by the relentless temperatures.
Meanwhile, across numerous European cities, residents have been filming viral videos of themselves placing frying pans outside in the sun and literally frying eggs on the pavement — a striking symbol of just how extreme conditions have become.
