Western Europe recorded its hottest-ever June and July, with average temperatures of 21.62 degrees Celsius, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Monday.
That figure was 2.79 degrees above the June average for 1991 to 2020.
The programme, based in the German city of Bonn, noted a marked temperature gradient from Western Europe to Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, where conditions were considerably cooler.
For Europe as a whole, last month ranked only as the 11th warmest July on record, with an average temperature of 20.49 degrees.
Globally, it was, along with 2024, the second-warmest July on record, at around 16.9 degrees. The record remains July 2023, which registered 16.95 degrees. Last month was 1.47 degrees above the global pre-industrial average for July.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service publishes regular data on topics including surface air temperature, sea ice cover and precipitation. Its findings are based on computer-generated analyses drawing on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.
FILE PHOTO – People are seen at the Scheveningen beach amid a heatwave. (is associated with: «Western Europe hit by record heat in June and July, EU monitor says») Niels Wenstedt/ANP/dpa
FILE PHOTO – Heat damage is visible on tram tracks along Troedlinring in Leipzig, after a prolonged heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius caused bitumen to melt and compromise the stability of the track bed, leading to widespread tram service disruptions. (is associated with: «Western Europe hit by record heat in June and July, EU monitor says») Heiko Rebsch/dpa