Western Europe records hottest June–July period, EU climate service reports

Western Europe's combined June and July average temperature reached 21.62 degrees Celsius (70.92°F), the highest on record for that two-month period, according to data released Monday by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The figure surpasses the previous record set in 2022 and reflects what Copernicus described as the 'exceptional persistence of heat' in the region, where four heatwaves have occurred since May.

The extreme temperatures have been linked to prolonged drought, major wildfires, new national temperature records and thousands of projected heat-related deaths across western Europe. Conditions were drier than average in July across Spain and other parts of the Iberian Peninsula, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Ireland and parts of Iceland.

Soil moisture in western Europe was reported to be significantly lower than during July 2022, when the region last experienced a severe drought. River flows were also unusually low, with the Seine, Rhine and Danube among the most affected waterways. Low water levels have disrupted transport, irrigation and energy production in several European countries.

France and Spain have faced particularly severe wildfires this summer, with serious blazes also reported elsewhere in Europe, the northwestern United States and Canada.

Temperature variations were considerable across the continent. Eastern Europe and Scandinavia experienced much cooler conditions, and for Europe as a whole, July ranked only the 11th warmest on record, with an average of 20.49°C (68.88°F). Europe is described as the fastest-warming continent in the world.

Copernicus also reported that global sea surface temperatures outside polar regions set a record in July, reaching 20.96°C (69.73°F), exceeding the previous July record of 20.89°C set in 2023. Record temperatures were measured along parts of the Atlantic coast and in the western Mediterranean, accompanied by intense marine heatwaves. A developing El Niño in the equatorial Pacific also contributed to the record.

Globally, July 2026 was the joint second-warmest July on record, tied with July 2024, with an average surface air temperature of 16.90°C (62.42°F), approximately 1.47°C above the 1850–1900 pre-industrial average. July 2023 remains the hottest July on record at 16.95°C. So far, 2026 ranks as the third-hottest year globally, behind 2024 and 2025. The past 11 years have been the hottest on record.

Copernicus bases its analyses on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations worldwide.

• The source does not provide the methodology or confidence intervals behind the projected heat-related death figures.
• No independent scientific voices outside Copernicus and ECMWF are quoted or referenced.
• The source does not specify which national temperature records were broken or in which countries.
• No detail is given on the scale or acreage of individual wildfires mentioned.
• The source text supplied appears truncated; some material may be missing.

1. Deutsche Welle — original

Read the original at Deutsche Welle

• US women's national team loses 2-0 to No. 1-ranked Spain in Washington friendly
• Overdue cannabis invoices strain New Jersey dispensary market, operators say
• Muncy says he knows which Dodgers player was exposed in clubhouse video, won't name him
• Steven Quay no longer leading choice to head NIAID, source tells STAT
• Society of Composers & Lyricists Opens First International Chapter in London
• Pentagon Plans to Livestream Execution of Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan, Hegseth Says