Western Europe faced the hottest June and July months combined in history, according to data from the European Earth Observation programme Copernicus.
The average temperature recorded in Western Europe during the day and night in June and July 2026 was 21.62°C, exceeding the historic average by 2.79°C. The previous record was set in 2022.
This July was the second-warmest on record, tied with 2024 and slightly cooler than the record-breaking 2023. The average temperature for the month was 1.4°C warmer than the pre-industrial reference value.
On top of the heat, Western Europe is in the midst of a drought, with rainfall hitting historic lows and rivers falling to critical levels. The heat and drought exacerbated each other, according to Copernicus' findings.
"Persistent high-pressure systems trapped the heat over Western Europe, and the extreme temperatures also exacerbated the widespread drought," explained Samantha Burgess, Head of Climate Strategy at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
"The more the soil dries out, the more it loses its ability to provide natural cooling, causing heat to build up more quickly. This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing each other," she said.
The combination of heat and drought not only caused a sharp increase in the number of wildfires, but also created the perfect conditions for fires to spread.
"Hot and dry conditions in southern Europe are fuelling large, extremely intense wildfires, whilst the fire season is expanding northwards," said Laurence Rouil, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.
"Larger fires produce more smoke, which gets pushed higher into the atmosphere, allowing the smoke to spread further and affect air quality not only locally but across the entire region."
