Kathmandu, August 12 - Western Europe has experienced its hottest combined June and July period since modern records began, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), marking another alarming milestone in the accelerating global climate crisis.
Copernicus data show that the average temperature across Western Europe during June and July 2026 reached approximately 21.62°C, the highest for the two-month period in the agency’s historical record. June alone was exceptionally warm, with an average temperature of 20.74°C, about 3.06°C above the 1991–2020 average, surpassing the previous June record set only a year earlier.
The extreme heat affected a wide area, including France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, western Germany, and parts of the United Kingdom. France and Spain were among the hardest-hit countries, experiencing prolonged heatwaves, unusually high nighttime temperatures, and increased pressure on public health systems.
Climate scientists say the record-breaking temperatures were driven by a combination of persistent high-pressure systems that trapped hot air over the region, exceptionally warm Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea surface temperatures, and the long-term warming trend caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization have repeatedly warned that human-induced climate change is making heatwaves more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting.
The consequences have been severe. Several Mediterranean countries have faced major wildfire outbreaks, while prolonged heat and reduced rainfall have intensified drought conditions, lowering river levels and affecting agriculture, hydropower generation, and water supplies. Public health experts have also raised concerns over thousands of excess heat-related deaths linked to recent heatwaves in parts of Western Europe.
Scientists note that Europe is warming about twice as fast as the global average, making it one of the world’s fastest-warming continents. The latest record adds to a growing list of climate extremes observed across Europe in recent years and comes amid near-record global ocean temperatures and one of the warmest Julys ever measured worldwide.
The new findings underscore the urgent need for stronger climate mitigation efforts, rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and improved adaptation measures to protect communities from increasingly dangerous heat extremes.
Sources: European Union Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S); World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
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