Record heat stress covered 52% of Europe in summer, Copernicus says
The EU climate monitor reported Europe’s third-warmest summer on record, with drought affecting almost half the continent by the end of August.
A record 52% of Europe experienced very strong heat stress during summer 2026, with temperatures feeling hotter than 38°C, according to the EU’s Copernicus climate monitor. Around 80% of the continent faced strong heat stress, above 32°C, on a record 41 days by the end of the season.
Europe recorded its third-warmest summer on record, while western Europe had its hottest, Copernicus said. Samantha Burgess, climate lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates Copernicus, said the heat’s geographical extent stood out alongside its intensity.
Four of Europe’s top 10 heatwaves occurred this summer, Burgess said. August 2003 remained the most severe on record, according to the source.
Dry conditions coincided with river flows falling to their lowest since records began in 1992. Copernicus said the low flows disrupted freight transport and put pressure on irrigation, nuclear reactor cooling and hydropower.
By the end of August, drought affected almost half of Europe, Burgess said. The monitor described the season as one in which multiple records appeared across the climate system.
