Western Europe records hottest June-July on record amid heatwave

Western Europe endured its hottest June and July on record, with average temperatures hitting 21.62°C, according to the Copernicus Service. This intense heatwave, which began as early as May, has fueled numerous wildfires, prolonged droughts, and caused national temperature records to fall across the region.

Forecasts indicate that the extreme heat has likely resulted in thousands of heat-related deaths. The Copernicus Service's Samantha Burgess highlighted the intensifying heat extremes due to climate change, noting how heat and drought increasingly reinforce each other. She also pointed to the potential for 2026 to surpass 2024 as the hottest year on record, driven by accelerated global warming and a strong El Niño event.

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There is a growing possibility that by year's end, 2026 will surpass 2024 as the hottest year on record, or at least come close, due to the combined effects of accelerated human-caused global warming and a supersized El Niño, a periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that causes temperature variations worldwide.

The anomalous heat has had other significant consequences, including dropping water levels in the Danube River to historic lows. This receding water has exposed dozens of German warships scuttled in 1944, World War II munitions, and rare ancient remains along a 2,800-kilometer stretch of the river through Hungary, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria.

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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.