The European Union's climate monitoring service has confirmed that western Europe experienced unprecedented heat during June and July, with record-breaking temperatures coinciding with severe drought conditions and widespread wildfires across the continent.
Western Europe recorded its hottest June-July period on record, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which monitors global warming across the European Union. The combined average temperature for the two-month period reached 21.62 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record set in 2022. Scientists attributed this exceptional warmth to the persistent nature of successive heatwaves and described it as a clear demonstration of how climate change intensifies heat extremes.
Dry conditions were particularly severe across western and central Europe, with nations including France, Spain, Austria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and parts of Iceland experiencing significantly lower soil moisture levels than during the drought of July 2022. Major river systems including the Seine, Rhine, and Danube recorded unusually low water flows, disrupting transport, irrigation, and energy production across multiple countries. The combination of extreme heat and drought created ideal conditions for wildfires, with France and Spain experiencing some of their most severe blazes in living memory, while other regions including parts of North America also battled major fires.
Globally, temperatures reached concerning levels beyond Europe's borders. Ocean surface temperatures hit record highs for the second consecutive month in July, driven partly by marine heatwaves around Europe and a developing El Niño effect in the tropical Pacific. Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus, indicated that the emerging El Niño event—potentially unprecedented in intensity—is likely a primary driver of elevated ocean temperatures. Scientists expect this combination of factors to produce new global temperature records either later in 2024 or in early 2027.
Copernicus officials emphasized that the last eleven years represent the warmest period on record, with greenhouse gas emissions identified as the primary cause of this warming trend. The organization uses billions of satellite and weather measurements spanning back to 1940 to track climate patterns.
