Brussels, Belgium. Western Europe experienced its warmest June on record, EU scientists said on Thursday, after an extreme heatwave at the end of the month broke temperature records, disrupted power supplies and forced school closures. Globally, June was the second-warmest on record, while sea surface temperatures reached their highest June level since records began.
Record temperatures in Western Europe
The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said the average temperature in Western Europe in June was 20.74 degrees Celsius, or 69.3 degrees Fahrenheit. This was more than 3 degrees Celsius above the average for June during 1991-2020.
Copernicus defines Western Europe as stretching from Spain and the United Kingdom eastward to Italy, Germany and part of Austria. The region has now experienced three intense heatwaves in three months, with Spain and Portugal among the countries facing another heatwave this week.
Impacts across Europe
National authorities reported more than 4,700 excess deaths in France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands during the June heatwave. The total across other affected countries is likely to be higher.
The heatwave also contributed to wildfires in Iberia and France and worsened drought conditions. It disrupted power supplies and led to school closures.
Climate change and heatwaves
“June 2026 underscored how profoundly the climate is changing,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. “The result is increasingly intense heatwaves, a persistently warm ocean, and growing risks for people, ecosystems and infrastructure across Europe and beyond.”
According to the World Meteorological Organization, greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from burning coal, oil and gas, have raised the planet’s average temperature to around 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the 19th century. That higher baseline means temperatures can now reach higher peaks during heatwaves.
“The relationship between heatwaves and global warming is about as straightforward as it gets: on a hotter planet, there will be more heatwaves, and they will become more intense,” said Joeri Rogelj, a climate scientist at Imperial College London.
Global ocean temperatures
Copernicus said June also brought the highest sea surface temperatures ever recorded for that month. It said factors driving the global ocean warmth included the development of a strong El Niño weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean.
A scientific study conducted after the European heatwave found that El Niño did not contribute to Europe’s June heatwave, while climate change played a clear role in worsening the extreme temperatures.
