Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves pummel the region

BERLIN (AP) — The heat waves roiling Western Europe this summer toppled an average temperature record for the June-July period set in 2022, according to the European climate agency Copernicus.

The extreme heat began in May and has contributed to major wildfires, prolonged drought and new national temperature records across the region, as well as thousands of projected heat-related deaths.

Globally, so far this is the third-hottest year, behind 2024 and 2025, climate statistics show. But 2026 still has time to catch up. Thanks to the one-two punch of accelerated human-caused global warming and a supersized El Niño, a periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that leads to temperature variations around the globe, there's an increasing chance that by the end of the year, 2026 could become the hottest year on record, beating out 2024 — or at least come close, scientists said.

Last month saw the highest average sea surface temperature ever recorded for July across the extra-polar oceans, or the oceans free of seasonal sea ice, Copernicus said.

That was partially fueled by developing El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific, the service said. The new average record for July is 20.96 degrees Celsius (69.73 degrees Fahrenheit), which beat the 2023 record of 20.89 C (69.60 F).

But last month's average surface air temperature globally was 16.90°C (62.42 F), making it only the joint second warmest July on record and tied with July 2024, Copernicus reported.

In Western Europe, meanwhile, the average temperature record for the June-July period hit 21.62°C (70.92 F), Copernicus said.

"Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought. As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

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