Western Europe experienced hottest June-July on record: EU monitor

Western Europe endured its hottest June and July on record, as climate change fuels an intense summer of heat, drought, and wildfires across the region, according to the European Union's global warming monitor.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported a combined average temperature of 21.62 degrees Celsius for western Europe during June-July. This figure surpasses the previous record set in 2022 for the same period. The monitor highlighted the "exceptional persistence of heat" throughout the summer so far.

Soil moisture levels were significantly lower than in July 2022, a period that also saw severe drought in western Europe. Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts stated, "This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another."

France, Spain, Austria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and parts of Iceland experienced very dry conditions in July. River flows, including those of the Seine, Rhine, and Danube, were unusually low. These conditions have impacted transport, irrigation, and energy production in several European countries.

Scientists note that these hot and dry conditions are ideal for fires, and the frequency of extreme fire-weather events in Europe is increasing due to climate change. France and Spain have battled their worst infernos in recent memory this summer, with serious blazes also occurring in other European nations, the northwestern United States, and Canada.

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This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.