Western Europe records hottest June, average hits 20.74 C
The late-June heat wave was linked to thousands of deaths, while global sea surface temperatures in June also set a new record.
Western Europe recorded June 2026 as the hottest June since modern records began, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Thursday, July 9. The region's average temperature reached 20.74 degrees Celsius, more than 3 degrees above the 1991-2020 norm and above the June 2025 record. Copernicus said the late-June heat wave broke monthly and all-time temperature records in several European countries and contributed to heat-related deaths. The report came as a new heat wave returned to Europe in early July, after an earlier spike in May. Globally, June 2026 was the second-warmest June on record, while average sea surface temperatures reached 20.86 degrees Celsius, the highest for June, amid a developing El Nino.