Europe called 'fastest-warming continent' in new climate report
Europe is the fastest-warming continent, according to a new joint report by the WMO and ECMWF. In 2025, nearly all of Europe recorded above-average annual temperatures, leading to intense heatwaves, wildfires that scorched over 1 million hectares, and significant glacier and snow cover loss. The report warns that climate change is an urgent present reality.
Nearly all of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025, a year that saw record sea temperatures and wildfires from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The UN agency released its findings on Wednesday in a joint report with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), painting a grim picture of climate change in the region.
“Europe is the fastest-warming continent and the impacts have been severe. Almost the entire region recorded above-average annual temperatures,” said Florian Pappenberger, director-general of ECMWF, including drought in May 2025.
Hot and dry conditions across the region fueled wildfires last year, scorching more than 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of land – equivalent to the area of Cyprus – and about 70% of Europe’s rivers recorded below-average annual flows, the report said.
Intense marine heatwaves were also observed across much of the continent, spiking in the Atlantic Ocean near the UK, Ireland and Iceland, and in several spots around the Mediterranean, according to a map accompanying the report.
Some of the most significant changes were seen in Europe’s coldest areas, as Norway, Sweden and Finland in the sub-Arctic region recorded a 21-day heatwave – the worst on record – in July 2025.
During that period, temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) and higher around the Arctic Circle, the report said.
Snow cover across Europe also shrank by nearly 30% to 1.32 million square kilometers (509,655 square miles) in March 2025, equivalent to the combined land loss of France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the report said.
Glacier loss was recorded across Europe, with the second largest loss observed in Iceland.
“The [2025] report paints a clear picture: The pace of climate change demands more urgent action,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at ECMWF.
“With rising temperatures, widespread wildfires and droughts, the evidence is undeniable; climate change is not a future threat, but our present reality,” Burgess said.
