Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record as Climate Change Intensifies Heatwaves

BRUSSELS: Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record this year, with unprecedented temperatures fueling deadly heatwaves, widespread wildfires, drought conditions and disruptions to infrastructure, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

The C3S reported that the average temperature across Western Europe reached 20.74 degrees Celsius in June—more than 3 degrees Celsius above the 1991–2020 seasonal average—making it the warmest June recorded since the agency’s records began in 1940. Globally, June 2026 ranked as the second-warmest June ever recorded.

Scientists said an intense heatwave that swept across much of Europe during the final weeks of June shattered temperature records in several countries, triggering power outages, forcing school closures, worsening drought conditions and fueling wildfires across the continent. The extreme temperatures were also linked to more than 4,700 excess deaths in France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands during the heatwave period.

According to Copernicus, sea surface temperatures in parts of the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean also reached record highs for June, contributing to unusually warm weather patterns and increasing the likelihood of further extreme weather events during the summer months.

Climate scientists attributed the exceptional heat primarily to human-induced climate change, saying rising greenhouse gas emissions have significantly increased the frequency and intensity of heatwaves across Europe. They noted that while natural climate variability, including developing Pacific Ocean conditions, can influence weather patterns, the current extremes are overwhelmingly driven by long-term global warming.

The latest findings come amid growing concern over Europe’s vulnerability to climate change, with governments facing mounting pressure to strengthen adaptation measures, improve public health preparedness and accelerate efforts to reduce carbon emissions as extreme weather events become more frequent and severe.