Western Europe records hottest June-July on average as Copernicus data confirms record-breaking heat
New data from the European climate agency Copernicus reveals Western Europe has experienced its hottest June and July on record, triggering national emergencies in France and Spain and projecting thousands of heat-related deaths.
The European climate agency Copernicus has confirmed that Western Europe recorded its hottest June and July on average, with temperatures reaching 21.62 degrees Celsius. This figure surpasses the previous regional benchmark established in 2022, marking a significant shift in the region’s climatic norms. The data, released by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, highlights the exceptional persistence of heat that has gripped the area since May.
Since the onset of the heatwave in May, the region has endured four distinct periods of extreme temperatures. The sustained high heat has led to prolonged drought conditions and the establishment of new national temperature records across several countries. The cumulative effect of these weather patterns has resulted in thousands of projected heat-related deaths, underscoring the severe public health implications of the current climate conditions.
The extreme weather has precipitated major wildfires, forcing significant emergency responses from national governments. In France, over 110,000 people have been evacuated from southwestern regions as fires have destroyed 14,000 hectares of forest. In response to the escalating crisis, President Emmanuel Macron has mobilised the military, while Prime Minister Sebastian Lecornu has chaired a government crisis meeting to coordinate the state’s response.
Spain has similarly declared a national emergency after two major wildfires west of Madrid merged into a single, large-scale blaze. The conflagration has forced the evacuation of more than 19,000 residents, illustrating the direct impact of the heatwave on civilian safety and infrastructure. The merging of these fires has intensified the operational challenges for emergency services across the Iberian Peninsula.
On a global scale, climate statistics indicate that the current year is the third-hottest on record, trailing only 2024 and 2025. This ranking reflects a broader trend of rising global temperatures, with Western Europe’s recent performance serving as a stark indicator of the accelerating pace of climate change. The data from Copernicus provides a critical institutional assessment of these environmental shifts, framing the current events within a longer-term pattern of climatic disruption.
