Western Europe experienced its warmest June on record, as a heatwave at the end of the month in many countries broke temperature records. The confirmation from the European Union’s climate monitor comes as many countries are facing a third heatwave this week since May.
The average temperature in western Europe reached 20.74C in June, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which was 3.05C above the average temperatures from 1991 to 2020.
This broke the previous record set in June 2025, when temperatures were 2.81C above the average.
It was the world's second hottest June on record, and the second hottest for Europe as a whole. Copernicus defines western Europe as spreading from Spain and the United Kingdom eastwards to Italy, Germany and part of Austria.
As human-induced climate change continues to push temperatures higher, Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with changes in atmospheric circulation fuelling more frequent and more intense heatwaves.
June was particularly hot as a "heat dome" high-pressure system, which acts like a lid on a boiling pot, led to all-time and monthly temperature records in western European countries.
In France, average temperatures on 24-25 June were the highest ever recorded, the Meteo-France weather service reported last week.
Globally, Coperrnicus said other factors were at play in driving sea surface temperatures to a record high for June, including the development of a strong El Niño weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean.
"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.”
The June heatwave "contributed to severe health impacts, including heat-related deaths", Copernicus said.
Thousands of deaths were attributed to the heatwave, mostly in France, Spain and Belgium, while the heat also exacerbated drought conditions and fuelled wildfires in Spain and southern France, Copernicus said.
(with newswires)
