Weather tracker: Unusually warm rivers affect French nuclear power plants | Europe
Above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall across much of Western and Central Europe in June and the first half of July put increasing pressure on rivers, ecosystems and energy infrastructure. Persistent high pressure caused sunlight to become longer, precipitation to decrease, and evaporation to increase, causing river levels to fall and water temperatures to rise.
These unusually warm rivers affect electricity production in France, as many nuclear power plants rely on river water for cooling. Under French environmental regulations, operators must limit the amount of heat returned to rivers; This means electricity production may need to be reduced when water temperatures get too high.
Earlier this month, EDF temporarily shut down a reactor at the Golfech nuclear power plant after the Garonne River approached its environmental discharge threshold; Production restrictions are expected at the Nogent nuclear power plant from July 14 if the river reaches the predicted temperature. As air conditioning use increased in much of Europe, long-term heat also increased electricity demand.
The same persistent weather pattern also led to dangerous fires on the Iberian peninsula. Spain has experienced several significant forest fires over the past week as prolonged periods of heat, exceptionally dry vegetation and very limited rainfall combined with periods of low relative humidity and high winds created favorable conditions for fire to spread rapidly. One of the largest fires occurred in the state of Almería, prompting evacuations and extensive firefighting operations.
Weather models continue to show generally above-average temperatures across much of Southern Europe over the next week, although temperatures are forecast to cool slightly in some areas. While widespread rainfall is expected to be low, vegetation is likely to remain dry, meaning the risk of bushfires will remain high across much of Europe and rivers in Western Europe will continue to experience unusually warm conditions.
In Asia, Typhoon Bavi strengthened into a severe tropical storm after making landfall on China’s east coast twice. Despite this, it continues to pose a significant flood threat as it moves inland. Bavi rapidly intensified in exceptionally warm waters in the western Pacific before reaching China, reaching Category 5 strength and becoming one of the strongest tropical cyclones of the 2026 northwest Pacific season. More than 2 million residents were evacuated before the storm reached China, while hundreds of flights, rail services and ferry operations were also suspended.
Early in its journey, Bavi brushed the northern tip of Taiwan and passed through Japan’s Sakishima Islands, causing damaging winds, torrential rains and widespread transportation disruptions. Although wind strength has decreased since landfall, the storm still contains a large reservoir of tropical moisture; Its slow progress inland is expected to extend heavy rains in eastern China next week, increasing the risk of flash floods, river inundation and landslides.
