Climate: June and July were as warm as never before in Western Europe

In June and July, it was as hot in Western Europe as it had never been before in the two summer months. The average temperature in the region, which also includes Germany, was 21.62 degrees during this period, as announced by the climate change service of the EU's Copernicus program in Bonn. This was 2.79 degrees above the long-term June average from 1991 to 2020.

However, Copernicus points to a pronounced temperature gradient from Western to Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, where it was significantly cooler. Even for Germany, the data shows that the southwest was significantly warmer than the northeast. For Europe as a whole, the past month was only the eleventh warmest July, with an average temperature of 20.49 degrees.

Globally, it was - along with 2024 - the second warmest, with approximately 16.90 degrees. The record holder remains July 2023, with 16.95 degrees according to previous information. The past month was globally 1.47 degrees above the pre-industrial July level.

For Western Europe, Copernicus also highlights the extremely long-lasting heat since late spring. There have been four heatwaves since May - which is exceptionally high for the region. The data used by Copernicus dates back to 1950, and some earlier data is also available.

The extreme drought continued in many European regions. As in June and partly in May, it was also drier than average in many regions in July. This affected mainly parts of the Iberian Peninsula, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Great Britain. The moisture content of the soil surface was significantly lower in Western Europe in July than in the last drought July 2022.

Unusually low water levels "When soils dry out, they lose their ability to cool naturally, so that the heat can build up even more easily," says Samantha Burgess, strategic leader for climate at Copernicus. "This is a clear example of how climate change amplifies heat extremes: heat and drought increasingly reinforce each other."

The water level of the rivers was significantly below the long-term average in large parts of the dry regions and even reached exceptionally low values locally. The Seine, Rhine, and Danube were particularly affected.

The world's oceans also heated up to record levels. The sea surface temperature was reportedly the highest ever recorded in this month, with an average temperature of 20.96 degrees. The previous high of 20.89 degrees was from July 2023.

Record values for water temperatures The measurements refer to the oceans outside the polar regions. Copernicus points to the currently high temperatures in the equatorial Pacific due to the beginning of the climate phenomenon El Niño, which is likely to intensify in the coming months. Along the Atlantic coast and in the western Mediterranean, the water temperatures reached record values, which were accompanied by strong marine heatwaves.

The EU's Copernicus climate change service regularly publishes data on, for example, the temperature at the Earth's surface, sea ice cover, and precipitation. The findings are based on computer-generated analyses that incorporate billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations around the world.