New data from the European Union's Copernicus program shows Western Europe averaged 20.74 degrees Celsius in June, surpassing the previous record from 2025. The month also featured the hottest ocean temperatures on record in the region. Globally, June came within 0.01 degrees Celsius of the all-time high.
The European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation program released readings confirming the record heat across Western Europe. Temperatures exceeded the monthly average by more than 3 degrees Celsius, following similar spikes in May and ahead of further highs in July.
France, Germany, and Denmark each recorded their highest temperatures ever, according to the World Meteorological Organization. A weather station in East Saxony, Germany, logged a minimum overnight temperature of 29.4 degrees Celsius on June 28, a historic mark.
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, stated that the records reflect a climate system continuing to accumulate heat. Carolina Pereira Marghidan of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre called for greater investment in heat-resilient infrastructure to protect residents.
Wildfires linked to the heat forced thousands to flee in Spain and southern France. Experts noted that such extreme conditions would have been virtually impossible without climate change.
