June 2026 recorded as the hottest June in Western Europe

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average temperature in Western Europe reached 20.74°C in June 2026, surpassing the previous record set in June 2025 and exceeding the 1991-2020 average by 3°C. Globally, temperatures were 1.39°C above the pre-industrial average of 1850-1900. Samantha Burgess of the ECMWF noted that Europe is warming faster than the global average due to atmospheric circulation changes, leading to more intense and frequent heatwaves. The heatwave caused significant environmental and social impacts, including wildfires in Spain that forced over 1,000 residents to evacuate and burned an area equivalent to the size of San Francisco. In Central and Eastern France, two deaths were linked to falling trees and lightning, with one fatality also reported in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Furthermore, low water levels in the Rhine have disrupted navigation. The World Health Organization reported approximately 10,000 excess deaths associated with the heatwave conditions observed in late June across Europe and Britain. Health experts have criticized governments for failing to treat extreme heat as a public health emergency.