Western Europe records hottest June-July on record amid heat, drought and wildfires

River flows were also unusually low, with the Seine, Rhine and Danube among the hardest-hit waterways.

The world’s seas recorded their highest temperatures for any July last month, with record sea surface temperatures along the Atlantic coast and in the western Mediterranean, scientists have said.According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, severe marine heatwaves affected European waters, while the global average sea surface temperature outside the polar regions surpassed the previous July record set in 2023.Surface air temperatures globally in July 2026 were only 0.01C cooler than in July 2024. Scientists therefore consider the two months the joint-second warmest Julys on record.Western Europe records its hottest June-July period on record as extreme heat fuels severe droughts and slows river flows across region pic.twitter.com/udWpz34Dzr— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) August 10, 2026Western Europe Records Hottest June-JulyWestern Europe experienced its hottest June-July period on record, with extreme temperatures contributing to wildfires across parts of the Mediterranean.The first two months of summer 2026 were 2.79C hotter than usual, Copernicus said on Monday, surpassing the previous record set four years ago and highlighting the “exceptional persistence of heat” since the start of the season.Central Europe has also been hit by a heatwave, with national temperature records falling in countries including Austria and Slovakia. The prolonged heat has dried vegetation and increased conditions conducive to fires.Samantha Burgess, a climate scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, described the summer as “a clear example” of climate breakdown intensifying interconnected extremes.“[As] persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought,” she said. “As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily.”A series of heatwaves has affected Europe since the end of spring, intensified by fossil fuel pollution. Particularly severe heat at the end of June is expected to have resulted in more than 10,000 deaths.Colombia Quake Leaves 20 Feared Dead As 7.4-Magnitude Earthquake Triggers Building CollapsesDrought Hits Water, Farming And PowerCopernicus said widespread dry conditions observed in May and June worsened in July, with exceptionally low rainfall and soil moisture recorded across much of western Europe.France, Spain and parts of Germany and the UK were among the affected regions. Low river flows disrupted water supplies, irrigation and power generation, including in downstream countries.A shortage of cooling water forced two coal-fired power plants in Poland to shut last week. Hungary’s only nuclear power plant was also forced to close for the first time in its 44-year history.Heat and drought pose major environmental threats to Europe’s economy. Early estimates indicate that the June heat caused €2 billion in crop losses for grain farmers.Economists have warned that the long-term economic impact could exceed immediate losses, particularly when droughts persist for several years.A working paper led by the CMCC European Institute on Economics estimated that the 2015-18 mega-drought cost Europe €439 billion, causing substantial short-term losses in agriculture and smaller but persistent effects on manufacturing and construction.Marta Mastropietro, a researcher at CMCC and the Polytechnic University of Milan and lead author of the study, said: “Even a single dry year causes real economic damage, but a persistent drought is different: its effects can compound across sectors and keep accumulating for years afterward.“That intersection between compounding and long-lasting impacts is what conventional impact estimates tend to miss.”Also Watch:Wildfires Burn Half-Million HectaresAbout half a million hectares have burned across the European Union since the beginning of the year, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System.The fires have also resulted in above-average pollution as burning vegetation releases thick smoke. Hot, dry and windy conditions that complicate firefighting efforts have reached record levels of severity for this time of year.Víctor Resco de Dios, a professor of forestry engineering at the University of Lleida, said: “Climate change is creating increasingly favourable conditions for the development of mega-wildfires.“The good news is that through vegetation management and urban planning we can largely mitigate the problem,” he said. “However, we must be clear about one thing: what seems extreme to us today will be remarkably benign in a few decades if we continue to fail to take the necessary adaptive measures.”

The Copernicus Climate Change Service says historically low rainfall has worsened the situation in several countries.

The first two months of summer in western Europe have been the hottest on record, the European Union’s climate monitor said Monday, as the continent grapples with devastating wildfires and braces for yet another heatwave. The average temperature for June and July was 21.62 degrees Celsius (70.9 Fahrenheit), about 2.79 degrees above the average, and … The post Western Europe breaks temperature record in summer plagued by heatwaves and wildfires appeared first on Egypt Independent.

Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record as climate change fuels an historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU's global warming monitor said Monday.

Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record as climate change fuels an historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU's global warming monitor said Monday.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service says the combined average temperature across Western Europe over the past two months was 21 .62 degrees, beating the record set in 2022.

Western Europe experienced its hottest June–July on record as climate change fuels a historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU's global warming monitor said Monday.

Drought is gripping large parts of Europe, with soils unusually dry and major rivers running low. A strengthening El Nino could push global temperatures even higher later this year.

Drought is gripping large parts of Europe, with soils unusually dry and major rivers running low. A strengthening El Nino could push global temperatures even higher later this year.

Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record as climate change fuels an historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU's global warming monitor…

The European Union's global warming monitor said the combined average temperature in western Europe for June-July was 21.62 degrees Celsius, beating the 2022 record for the same period.

Western Europe has recorded its hottest June and July with average temperatures of 21.6C, the EU's Copernicus climate agency says.

River flows were unusually low, affecting transport, irrigation and energy production, while hot, dry conditions increased fire risks.

Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record as climate change fuels an historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU's global warming monitor said.

Climate change across Western Europe has brought a summer of heat, drought and wildfires to the region and put the combined average temperature from June through July at 21.62C – beating the 2022 record for the same period, the EU's global warming monitor said Monday.