Western Europe has just endured its hottest June–July period on record, according to the European climate service Copernicus. The average temperature for the two months reached 21.62°C, surpassing the previous high set in 2022. The heat, which began in May, has fueled wildfires, worsened drought, and led to new national temperature records across the region.
Globally, 2026 is currently the third-warmest year on record, behind 2024 and 2025. But scientists warn that the combination of human-caused warming and a developing El Niño could push this year into the top spot by December. El Niño, a periodic warming of the Pacific, tends to raise global temperatures.
Ocean heat at record levels
Copernicus also reported that July saw the highest average sea surface temperature ever recorded for the extra-polar oceans—those without seasonal sea ice. The average was 20.96°C, beating the previous record of 20.89°C set in 2023. The warming was partly driven by El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific.
Despite the ocean heat, July's global average surface air temperature was 16.90°C, tying with July 2024 as the second-warmest July on record. The extra heat in Western Europe was trapped by persistent high-pressure systems, which also dried out soils, reducing their natural cooling effect.
“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.”
Wildfires strain emergency services
The heat has turned forests into tinderboxes. In Albania, a large wildfire on Mount Kruje, about 38 kilometres north of Tirana, has been burning since Saturday. Firefighters, helicopters, and the military worked through the night to contain the blaze, which forced evacuations from the Barabit-Lluban area. Police arrested a man suspected of starting the fire by burning dry grass near his home; strong winds quickly spread it out of control.
In southern Spain, authorities in the Andalusian province of Huelva evacuated around 470 residents on Sunday as a fire spread to nearly 4,000 hectares. More than 500 firefighters, including 60 members of the Military Emergency Unit, and about 20 waterbombing planes are battling the flames. “The fire remains complex. We still have work to do and a tough day ahead, involving a great deal of intervention, but today we are somewhat more optimistic,” said Antonio Sanz, the region's minister for emergencies.
The twin blazes underscore the strain that extreme heat places on emergency services across the continent. As the climate warms, such events are likely to become more frequent and intense, a trend that Swiss glacier melt and other indicators have already made clear.
With the peak of summer still ahead, forecasters expect little relief. The combination of ocean heat and El Niño could push 2026 into record-breaking warmth, as scientists have warned. For now, Western Europe remains in the grip of a heatwave that shows no signs of easing.
