June 2026 heatwave breaks temperature records across Europe

June 2026 saw record-breaking heatwaves across much of Western Europe, with marine heatwaves reported along the western Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Global sea surface temperatures outside polar regions reached their highest June average on record, exceeding the previous 2024 benchmark by just 0.01°C.

The second half of June brought monthly and all-time temperature records in multiple European countries, alongside severe health impacts, including heat-related deaths. Widespread drought, compounded by the heat, fueled wildfires in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. The June heatwave worsened drought conditions in Western and Central Europe that had begun developing during a May heatwave.

Globally, June 2026 was the second-warmest on record, with an average temperature of 16.54°C—0.56°C above the 1991–2020 June average and 1.39°C above the pre-industrial (1850–1900) estimate. Only June 2024 was warmer.

Europe’s land areas recorded their second-highest June temperature at 19.14°C, trailing only June 2019. Western Europe experienced its warmest June on record, with an average of 20.74°C—3.05°C above the 1991–2020 average, surpassing last year’s record.

Petteri Taalas, Director General of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, noted that increasing heatwaves and temperature records are a global trend, leading in Europe to more heat-related deaths, water shortages, crop losses, and wildfires.

Joonas Merikanto, a senior researcher at the institute, said the June records are not isolated anomalies but part of rapid climate change. A warming climate raises the baseline for heatwaves, with the same weather patterns now producing higher temperatures. Most excess heat is stored in the oceans, increasing atmospheric heat and moisture, which can intensify European heatwaves and their impacts.