Western Europe experienced its hottest June and July on record, driven by a persistent weather pattern that fueled devastating wildfires, dried up major rivers, and prompted repeated heatwaves across the continent, according to data released by the European Union’s climate monitor, Copernicus.
The average temperature across western Europe for June and July reached 21.62 degrees Celsius (70.9 Fahrenheit), roughly 2.79 degrees above average, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. That figure surpasses the previous regional heat record set in 2022. Across the globe, July also ranked as the hottest month ever logged for non-polar oceans, with record high temperatures recorded along the Atlantic and western Mediterranean.
Drivers of the Record-Breaking Summer Heat
The extreme conditions were partly fueled by a developing “Super” El Niño weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean. Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, stated that scorching temperatures and persistent droughts mutually reinforced each other to create a hot weather spiral during the first two months of summer. As soils dry out, they lose their natural cooling abilities, allowing heat to build up more readily.
Surface soil moisture levels across western Europe in July 2026 were significantly lower than in July 2022. Scientists identified exceptional to record deficits for rain and soil moisture in France, Spain, and parts of Germany and the United Kingdom.
Wildfires and Air Quality Impacts
The record-breaking heat and persistent dryness created dangerous conditions for wildfires that have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. According to an August 6 report by the European Union, fires have burned more than 1.23 million acres of land, primarily impacting Spain, France, and Italy.
Laurence Rouil, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, noted that the scale of the fires has created broader regional consequences. Larger fires produce more smoke and inject it higher into the atmosphere, enabling the smoke to travel farther and degrade air quality across the wider region rather than just locally.
Threats to Energy Supplies and Waterways
Severe droughts have drained water levels in Europe’s major rivers, particularly the Seine, the Rhine, and the Danube. The crisis along the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river, became so severe that low water levels are visible from space. In response, Hungary and Romania were forced to temporarily shut down nuclear reactors that rely on the river for cooling.
Richard Allan, a climate science professor at the University of Reading in England, previously told CNN that these record river lows are likely to be broken again in the future. Managing water resources will become progressively more challenging as the continent continues to warm.
Data compiled by Bloomberg indicates that heat has killed more than 25,000 people across Europe this year. Climate scientists note that Europe remains the world’s fastest-warming continent and is disproportionately vulnerable to extreme heat due to older infrastructure and a lack of air conditioning.