The EU Copernicus report reveals that the scorching heat that persistently baked western Europe this summer was the worst on record. More than half the continent experienced "very strong" heat stress, with temperatures feeling hotter than 38°C. Surface air temperatures in western Europe from June to August were 2.5°C above the recent decadal average, marking this summer as Europe’s third hottest on record.
Context
This alarming finding comes as a powerful El Niño phenomenon raises global temperatures and intensifies violent weather patterns from South America to Australia. The natural sea warming pattern has already broken temperature records months ahead of its expected peak at the end of the year, potentially leading to almost half a million extra heat-related deaths by February.
In Europe, the intense heat experienced this summer is largely attributed to fossil fuel pollution that clogs the atmosphere. The report indicates that at least 60% of western Europe endured temperatures above 30°C on 17 days this summer, compared to 11 days in 2003 and just 7 days in 2025.
Developments
The high heat resulted in a record-breaking 13 days of "very strong" heat stress across western Europe. The summer also saw an unusually early onset of summer-like weather, with a powerful heatwave occurring in late May. High temperatures persisted even through September.
