Western Europe records its hottest June on record as heatwaves surge: EU monitor

Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record this year, as an intense heatwave swept the continent and drove thousands of heat-related deaths, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said Thursday.

The extreme heat pushed average temperatures more than 3C above the 1991-2020 norm, breaking the previous record set in June 2025.

The report comes as a fresh heatwave batters Europe this week, following the record-breaking one in June and an unusually early hot spell in May.

What is causing the heatwave in Europe?

Europe's heatwaves are driven by human-caused climate change combined with atmospheric patterns known as heat domes. A heat dome is a high-pressure system that traps hot air over a region, similar to a lid on a boiling pot. Warmer sea surface temperatures also reduce nighttime cooling, while rising emissions make these extremes more frequent and intense.

How hot did Western Europe get in June?

The average temperature in western Europe reached 20.74C in June, according to Copernicus, which operates under the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. It was the second hottest June on record for the world and for Europe as a whole, as human-induced climate change continued to push temperatures higher. Global temperatures that month were 1.39C above the estimated pre-industrial average, a baseline period covering 1850 to 1900.

"We will see more heatwaves in a warmer world," said Samantha Burgess, ECMWF's strategic climate lead. She said the heatwaves will grow more intense, last longer, and affect wider geographical areas as warming continues.

How many people were affected by the heatwave?

More than two-thirds of Europeans, or roughly 410 million people, endured temperatures above 35C during the June 15 to 30 heatwave, according to an AFP analysis. Thousands of deaths were linked to the heat, mostly in France, Spain, and Belgium. Copernicus said the June heatwave contributed to severe health impacts, including heat-related deaths.

High humidity worsened the effects, Burgess said, because it prevented people from getting relief overnight. She said the region experienced several tropical nights in a row as a result. The Mediterranean also recorded its own marine heatwave, while dry conditions raised drought risks in eastern Europe and fueled wildfires in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France.

Was this the worst heatwave Europe has recorded?

World Weather Attribution, a network of climate scientists, said last month that Europe's June heatwave was the most severe ever recorded, based on a three-day forecast of average peak temperatures across the region studied. The group said such a heatwave would have been virtually impossible without climate change. A similar event in June 2003 would have been about 2C cooler, researchers found.

How can Europe adapt to more frequent heatwaves?

Burgess said Europe needs adaptation plans to cope with a climate that no longer matches how many of its cities were built. Many of the continent's older buildings were constructed hundreds of years ago, under conditions that no longer exist, she said. She added that reaching net-zero emissions from fossil fuels remains essential to limiting future heat extremes, warning that heatwaves will keep worsening as long as fossil fuel emissions continue.