Western Europe has recorded its hottest June ever, as a powerful heatwave swept across the region and raised fresh concerns about the growing impact of climate change, according to Hurriyet Daily Naws.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average temperature in Western Europe reached 20.74 degrees Celsius in June. This is more than 3 degrees above the average recorded between 1991 and 2020. The figure also surpasses the previous record set just last year, in June 2025.
The findings come as Europe faces yet another heatwave this week. It follows an already intense June and an unusually early burst of extreme heat in May, suggesting a troubling pattern of longer and more frequent hot periods.
Scientists say this is not a one-off event, but part of a wider trend. “We will see more heatwaves in a warmer world,” said Samantha Burgess, a senior climate expert at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. She warned that future heatwaves are likely to last longer, grow more intense, and affect larger areas.
Globally, this June was the second hottest ever recorded, both for Europe as a whole and for the planet. Temperatures worldwide were about 1.39 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels, a benchmark scientists use to measure human-driven warming.
The oceans are also heating up. Sea surface temperatures reached their highest June levels on record, adding to concerns about long-term environmental changes. At the same time, the El Niño weather pattern is developing in the Pacific Ocean, which could further push global temperatures higher in the coming months.
For many, climate change is no longer a distant warning. “We’re at a transition point,” Burgess said, “where climate change is becoming a real and disruptive part of daily life.”
Across Europe, the rising heat is already being felt not just in temperature records, but in the way people live, work, and cope with a warming world.
