Western Europe has experienced its hottest June on record, with an unusually early heatwave smashing records across France, Britain, and Spain. The region has been scorched as the UK enters its third heatwave of the year and wildfires ravage France and Spain.
According to the Copernicus climate monitoring service, the average temperature in Western Europe reached 20.74 degrees Celsius in June, which is more than 3 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 norm. While surface air temperatures were 3.06C above their average from recent decades, a new report also found that June temperatures in the region were nearly 5.5 degrees above average.
Scientists warn that these temperatures, inflamed by carbon pollution, pose significant risks for people, ecosystems, and infrastructure. The record wildfires demonstrate that a failure to adapt carries a mounting cost.
A rapid succession of major heatwaves since May suggests that extreme heat is no longer an isolated event, but an increasingly prolonged feature of European summers. Experts are predicting that heatwaves for the region will become more intense and longer-lasting.