Focus – Western Europe experienced its hottest summer ever recorded

PARIS, October 2 /ATSH-DPA/ – Western Europe has experienced its hottest summer ever recorded, with an average temperature of 21.7 degrees Celsius, around 2.5 degrees Celsius above the average for the 1991–2020 period.

Western Europe recorded its warmest summer ever recorded, with an average temperature of 21.7 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees above the 1991–2020 average, surpassing the previous record set in 2003.

The European Union’s Earth observation programme “Copernicus” stated that the exceptional heat extended beyond the central summer months, with record daily temperatures also recorded in May and September.

The persistence and geographical spread of the heat were also notable: in 2026, at least 60% of Western Europe recorded 17 days with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, compared with 11 in 2003 and 7 in 2025.

Taking the Western European average, 41 days with “severe” heat stress were recorded by the end of the season, a record number, five more than in 2003.

For the same region, the number of days with very severe heat stress, 13, was also a record.

The European summer of 2026 was characterised by record levels of heat stress and extremely low river flows, according to “Copernicus”, which noted that extreme heatwaves and dry conditions affected 52% of the continent.

Heat stress, an indicator of how different thermal environments affect the human body, exposing people to serious health risks including heatstroke, was widespread across Europe, as 52% of the continent experienced conditions of “very severe” intensity or higher by the end of the season, corresponding to felt temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius or higher.

Record-high surface air temperatures were observed across most of Europe, particularly in Western Europe, while record or near-record surface temperatures were recorded in European seas.

Rivers across Europe also recorded their lowest summer flows in thirty years, according to data from “Copernicus”, the European Earth observation and monitoring programme.

The persistent and exceptional heat across Europe made this the third-warmest summer ever recorded for the continent and the warmest ever recorded for Western Europe.

Summer conditions arrived particularly early in some parts of the continent, with the first major heatwave affecting large parts of Western Europe in late May, and extremely hot conditions continuing throughout the summer.

Dry conditions and repeated heatwaves contributed to an exceptionally active wildfire season.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, as of September 2, the burned area in the European Union was almost double the 2006–2025 average for that time of year, with particularly extensive activity in Spain and France.

Data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) showed that emissions from fires in Europe at the end of the summer were among the ten highest since 2003, exposing millions of people to dangerous levels of air pollution.