June 2026 has officially become the hottest June ever recorded in Western Europe since instrumental record-keeping began. Average temperatures in the region reached 20.74 degrees Celsius—a significant 3.05 degrees above the 1991–2020 climate baseline—surpassing the previous record established in June 2025.
These findings were published by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service on July 9, 2026. On a global scale, June 2026 was the second-warmest month in recorded history, trailing only June 2024, with a worldwide average temperature of 16.54 degrees Celsius, or 1.39 degrees above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900).
While the record-breaking heat was driven by the rapid development of the natural El Niño climate cycle in the equatorial Pacific, the primary factor remains long-term anthropogenic climate change. Sea surface temperatures reached unprecedented heights, with the average for June hitting approximately 21 degrees Celsius, exceeding the previous records set in 2023 and 2024.
Western Europe endured three intense heatwaves: one in May, an extreme spell from June 20 to 28, and a subsequent wave in early July. The affected region encompassed Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and portions of Austria and Switzerland. During the June wave, numerous cities set new absolute temperature records—Spain saw a maximum of 45.1 degrees Celsius, while Barcelona reached 40.5 degrees.
The economic and infrastructural toll was extensive: power outages were reported—with France forced to scale back nuclear reactor output as cooling water temperatures soared—alongside the closure of schools and offices, while massive wildfires tore through the Pyrenees and Southern France and drought conditions worsened across Western and Central Europe.
“June 2026 illustrates the profound extent of our changing climate,” stated Samantha Burgess, the climate strategic leader at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). “Collectively, these records depict a climate system that is continuously accumulating heat. The result is a cycle of increasingly intense heatwaves, persistently warm oceans, and escalating risks to people, ecosystems, and infrastructure throughout Europe and beyond.”
Climate scientist Joeri Rogelj of Imperial College London emphasized that as the planet continues to heat up, heatwaves are becoming both more frequent and more severe. Every fractional increase in global temperature leads to more recurring and destructive weather extremes.
Research conducted by Copernicus and World Weather Attribution confirmed that climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions, played a decisive role in the onset and severity of the June 2026 European heatwave. Without anthropogenic climate impact, such an intense heatwave would have been virtually impossible.
Copernicus records date back to 1940 and are benchmarked against global data reaching back to 1850. Against the backdrop of these record-breaking temperatures, specialists warn that heatwaves are no longer isolated anomalies but the new normal for European summer seasons.
