Record temperatures scorch Western Europe as drought increases fire risk

Western Europe has experienced the hottest period on record for the months of June and July. Climate change has fueled a summer season marked by extreme temperatures, a lack of rainfall and wildfires.

Data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service show that the region’s average temperature during the first two months of summer was 21.62 degrees Celsius. This surpassed the record set in 2022. Europe remains the continent warming at the fastest rate in the world, while June and July were marked by repeated heatwaves and very little rainfall.

Soil moisture levels were significantly lower than in July 2022, when Western Europe faced its last severe drought. The driest conditions were recorded in France, Spain, Austria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Ireland and parts of Iceland. Meanwhile, water flows in the Seine, Rhine and Danube rivers fell to exceptionally low levels, affecting water transport, irrigation and energy production.

The combination of high temperatures and drought also created favorable conditions for the spread of fires. France and Spain faced some of the most severe wildfires of recent decades, while large blazes also broke out in other European countries, the United States and Canada.

The oceans also recorded record temperatures for the second consecutive month. In July, their average temperature reached 20.96 degrees Celsius, surpassing the 2023 record. The increase was driven by marine heatwaves and the development of the powerful “El Niño” phenomenon in the Pacific.

Globally, July ranked as the second-hottest month on record, with an average temperature 1.47 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Scientists warn that a new global record could be set at the end of this year or in early 2027.