Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record as heatwaves intensified, the European Union’s climate monitor reported on Thursday.
The average temperature in Western Europe in June reached 20.74°C, more than 3°C above the 1991-2020 average. This surpassed the previous regional record set in June 2025, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Globally, June temperatures were 1.39°C above the estimated pre-industrial average (1850-1900 period), according to Copernicus. This week, Europe experienced a new heatwave following record heat in June and unusually warm temperatures in early May.
“We will see more heatwaves in a warming world,” said Samantha Burgess, head of strategic climate programs at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which operates Copernicus. “They will be more intense, last longer, and affect larger geographical areas,” Burgess told AFP.
Global trends and El Niño impact
Overall, it was the second hottest June on record for both the world and Europe, Copernicus reported, as human-caused climate change continues to drive temperatures higher. The world’s oceans also recorded their highest June temperatures on record amid the developing El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to strengthen in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
“We are in a transition phase where climate change is shifting from an abstract statistical problem of the future that you read about in reports, to a concrete, present-day, and destructive feature of everyday life,” Burgess noted.
Source: Euronews
