The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on August 10 that Western Europe experienced its hottest June and July on record. The region's average temperature over the two months was 21.62 degrees Celsius (70.9 degrees Fahrenheit), 2.79 degrees Celsius above the average and surpassing the previous record set in 2022.
C3S said this reflects an "unusual persistence of heat" during this summer. The agency also noted soil moisture levels were "significantly lower" than in July 2022, when the last severe drought hit Western Europe.
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said: "July 2026 was the third consecutive month of unusual heat in Western Europe, pushing the combined June-July temperature to a new record for the region. Persistent high-pressure systems have kept temperatures elevated over Western Europe. Extreme heat has also exacerbated widespread drought conditions. As soils dry out, they lose their natural cooling ability, causing heat to accumulate more quickly. This is a clear example of how climate change is amplifying heatwaves, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing each other."
Several rivers recorded unusually low water levels, including the Seine, Rhine, and Danube. Low flows have affected water supply and irrigation, forcing Hungary and Slovenia to reduce the operating capacity of their sole nuclear power plants.
France and Spain also reported record drought levels, fueling devastating wildfires. A major fire scorched nearly 42,000 hectares (103,785 acres) and forced more than 220,000 people to evacuate in the Gironde region of southwestern France in late July. Around the same time, Spain's largest wildfire in recent history burned nearly 44,000 hectares (108,725 acres) in the province of Avila, near Madrid.
The report also warned that large fires can send smoke high into the atmosphere, allowing it to travel thousands of kilometers and affect air quality in other countries. C3S also recorded the highest sea surface temperatures on record outside the polar regions in July, averaging 20.96 degrees Celsius (69.7 degrees Fahrenheit), slightly above the previous record of 20.89 degrees Celsius (69.6 degrees Fahrenheit) set in 2023.
