Western Europe has seen its hottest June–July period since records began, according to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
The average temperature in Western Europe during June and July was 21.62 degrees Celsius, 2.79 degrees above the 1991–2020 average, C3S data shows.
The previous record, set in 2022, was surpassed by almost 0.9 degrees.
Although Europe is the fastest-warming continent, temperatures varied considerably across the region in July. They were significantly above average in Western Europe, while cooler conditions were recorded in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
The average temperature over land in Europe was 20.49 degrees Celsius, making July 2026 the 11th-warmest July on record.
So far, 2026 is the third-warmest year on record
Globally, July 2026 was the second-warmest on record, tied with July 2024 and behind the all-time high seen in July 2023.
The global average temperature in July was 16.90 degrees Celsius, 1.47 degrees above the estimated pre-industrial average for the 1850–1900 period.
So far, 2026 is the third-warmest year on record, behind 2024 and 2025, while the past 11 years have been the warmest ever recorded.
C3S Director Carlo Buontempo said that human civilisation had probably never experienced such a warm climate.
“The main driver of this warming, as we know, is greenhouse gases,” Buontempo said.
Drought, low water levels, and wildfires
Large parts of Europe experienced significantly drier-than-average conditions in July.
The affected areas included parts of the Iberian Peninsula, France, Germany, Austria, and Hungary, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, parts of Iceland, and the Benelux countries.
Surface soil moisture in Western Europe was significantly lower than in July 2022, when the region last experienced severe drought.
Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over Western Europe, while extreme temperatures further intensified the drought. As soils dry out, their capacity to provide natural cooling declines, allowing heat to build up more easily.
Climate change is intensifying extreme heat, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another
“This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another,” said Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which implements C3S.
River flows and water levels across Europe were significantly below average, with the Seine, Rhine and Danube among the most severely affected. Low water levels increased pressure on water supply, irrigation, river transport, and energy production in several European countries.
High temperatures and drought also created conditions for exceptionally intense wildfires. A fire that broke out in the French department of Gironde in late July burned almost 42,000 hectares and forced more than 220,000 people to evacuate.
At the same time, a wildfire described as the largest in Spain’s recent history burned almost 44,000 hectares in the province of Ávila, near Madrid.
Major wildfires were also recorded in other parts of Europe, as well as in the northwestern United States and Canada.
The highest average sea surface temperature
C3S also recorded the highest average sea surface temperature for July across oceans outside the polar regions.
It reached 20.96 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous July record of 20.89 degrees, set in 2023.
Record temperatures were measured along parts of Europe’s Atlantic coast and in the western Mediterranean, where strong and, in some areas, severe marine heatwaves occurred.
The developing El Niño climate phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific also contributed to the record.
