The heat waves affecting Western Europe this summer caused the region to surpass an average temperature record for the June-July period established in 2022, according to Copernicus, the European climate agency.
This extreme heat began in May and has been linked to significant wildfires, prolonged drought, new national temperature records across the area, and thousands of projected heat-related fatalities.
Climate statistics indicate that this is the third hottest year globally so far, following 2024 and 2025. However, scientists noted that 2026 still has a chance to surpass these records. They stated there is an increasing probability that 2026 could become the hottest year on record, potentially exceeding 2024 or coming very close, due to the combined effects of accelerated human-caused global warming and a substantial El Niño event—a periodic Pacific warming pattern that influences worldwide temperatures.
Copernicus reported that July last month recorded the highest average sea surface temperature ever observed for the extra-polar oceans (oceans without seasonal sea ice).
This was partly driven by developing El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific, the service stated. The new average record for July reached 20.96 degrees Celsius (69.73 degrees Fahrenheit), surpassing the 2023 record of 20.89°C (69.60°F).
However, Copernicus also reported that the global average surface air temperature for last month was 16.90°C (62.42°F), making it only tied for the second warmest July on record with July 2024.
In Western Europe specifically, the average temperature record for the June-July period reached 21.62°C (70.92°F), Copernicus announced.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, commented, “Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe; the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought. As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily.”
Burgess added, “This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”