Record-breaking temperatures occur across multiple regions during July 2026, according to analyses based on Copernicus climate data. Coverage from RFI and a separate AFP-based report says areas home to roughly 900 million people experience their hottest July on record, including parts of the Sahel, Central America, and in Europe such as France and Spain.
The outlets describe the scale of the event by pointing to extensive monitoring and modelling of atmospheric conditions. One report says that 33 countries record their hottest July since data collection began, drawing on an examination of billions of data points from Copernicus’s ERA5 climate model. While the reports broadly align on the record-setting nature and geographic spread, they differ in emphasis: one focuses on population affected and specific regions, while the other highlights the number of countries reaching record highs.
