A brutal summer heat wave sweeping across Western Europe has broken the region’s average temperature record for the June-July period, a benchmark previously set just four years ago in 2022, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has confirmed.
The extreme heat event actually began earlier, starting in May 2026, and has already triggered cascading environmental and public health crises across the continent: large-scale wildfires have burned thousands of hectares of land, prolonged drought has strained agricultural and water supplies, multiple nations have broken their all-time national temperature records, and thousands of premature heat-related deaths have been projected by public health researchers.
Global climate data paints an equally stark picture for 2026. As of the end of July, it ranks as the third-warmest year ever recorded globally, trailing only 2024 and 2025 in average temperatures. But scientists note there is still half of the year remaining for temperatures to rise further, and the confluence of two major warming forces makes it increasingly likely 2026 could claim the unwanted title of hottest year on record by December.
The dual drivers are accelerating anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming and a particularly strong El Niño event developing in the equatorial Pacific. El Niño is a naturally recurring climate pattern marked by elevated ocean surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean, which ripples out to drive temperature increases across much of the globe. Even if 2026 does not overtake 2024’s top spot, scientists say it will almost certainly land near the top of the historical ranking.
Copernicus also confirmed a new concerning ocean temperature milestone: July 2026 saw the highest average sea surface temperature ever recorded for the month across all extra-polar oceans – the parts of the world’s oceans outside polar regions that do not experience seasonal sea ice. The agency pegged the new July average at 20.96 degrees Celsius (69.73 degrees Fahrenheit), beating the previous 2023 record of 20.89 C (69.60 F). Researchers said developing El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific were a key contributor to the new ocean heat record.
Globally, the average surface air temperature for July 2026 came in at 16.90°C (62.42 F), tying it with July 2024 as the second-warmest July ever recorded, according to Copernicus.
For Western Europe specifically, the June-July 2026 average temperature hit 21.62°C (70.92 F), shattering the previous regional average mark. Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which hosts Copernicus operations, explained the dynamic that prolonged and amplified the regional heat wave.
“Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, and the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought,” Burgess explained. “As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily. This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”