A record 52% of Europe was exposed to very strong heat stress during this year’s exceptionally hot summer, the EU’s climate observatory Copernicus said on Friday.
Europe was hit by an almost unbroken series of heatwaves, driven by climate change and beginning unusually early in spring.
According to Copernicus, this was the hottest summer ever recorded in western Europe. Four of the ten most intense heat episodes ever observed in Europe occurred this year, notably in France as well as the UK and Belgium.
“The summer of 2026 showed how heat stress is becoming both more widespread and more persistent,” said Samantha Burgess, climate lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which runs the Copernicus programme.
She added that heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths worldwide.
Heat stress occurs when the body’s natural cooling mechanisms are overwhelmed, causing symptoms ranging from dizziness and headaches to multiple organ failure and death.
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Copernicus said 52% of Europe experienced very strong heat stress, equivalent to a felt temperature above 38C°. Around 80% of the continent was exposed to strong heat stress, defined as a felt temperature above 32C°.
These conditions were recorded for a record 41 days during the season, five more than in 2003, the year of Europe’s historic heatwave. The August 2003 heatwave remains the most severe overall when measured by the combined duration and intensity of the event.
In 2026, there were 17 days on which at least 60% of western Europe recorded temperatures above 30C°, compared with 11 days in 2003 and seven in 2025.
