July 2026 shattered global heat records, impacting 900 million people

The planet endured its hottest month on record in July 2026, as an estimated 900 million people across Latin America, the African Sahel, and southern Europe experienced extreme heat. Detailed analysis from the European Copernicus program's ERA5 climate model confirmed that 33 nations broke their historical temperature ceilings, placing immense pressure on infrastructure, food security, and the survival of vulnerable populations.

In the Sahel, home to roughly 400 million people, ten countries shattered previous thermal records. Nations including Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia registered unprecedented temperatures. Chad and Sudan, in particular, saw deviations exceeding 2°C above their 1981-2010 reference averages. The scientific network World Weather Attribution had previously warned that extreme heat events in this region are now ten times more probable than in 2015, impacting populations already grappling with armed conflicts, structural poverty, and subsistence crises.

The El Niño phenomenon, active since June, amplified the heat across Latin America, affecting approximately 110 million people. The situation is particularly dire in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras, located in the Dry Corridor, where temperature records were broken throughout June and July. The UN's World Food Programme projects an accelerated deterioration of food security, estimating that an additional 16 million people in Central America and the Caribbean will require humanitarian aid by the end of 2027.

Europe also faced extreme temperatures, impacting around 120 million citizens, primarily in the United Kingdom, France, and Spain. Spain recorded its hottest July ever, matching 2022's record, with temperatures 2.6°C above the historical average. This heat stress and water scarcity fueled unprecedented wildfires, including one in Spain's Ávila province that consumed nearly 50,000 hectares, becoming the country's most destructive recent fire. France's Gironde department saw flames devour 42,000 hectares, forcing the evacuation of over 220,000 people.