Record July heat in regions home to 900mil people
Some 33 countries recorded their hottest July since records began, according to a detailed analysis of billions of data points from Copernicus's ERA5 climate model.
In 2026, regions home to around 900 million people witnessed their hottest July on record, according to AFP's analysis of Copernicus data. This includes areas in the Sahel, Central America, France, and Spain. A total of 33 countries recorded their highest July temperatures since records began, confirmed by national weather agencies in some cases.
However, many lower-income nations lacking detailed climate data were not included in this assessment. The majority of the affected individuals, nearly 400 million, reside in Africa, particularly within the Sahel region. Ten countries in this region broke their monthly heat records for July, with temperatures in areas like Chad and Sudan exceeding 2°C above the 1981-2010 average.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution network have warned that episodes of extreme heat have become nearly ten times more likely since 2015 due to human-driven climate change. El Niño, a naturally occurring climate pattern, has exacerbated these extreme temperatures, particularly in Central America and northern South America, where approximately 110 million people experienced their all-time hottest July.
Food insecurity is a significant concern in the affected regions, with the United Nations World Food Programme predicting that Central America could see an additional 16 million people face food insecurity by the end of 2027. In Europe, nearly 120 million people live in areas that experienced unprecedented July heat, with France and Spain registering record-breaking temperatures and drought conditions, leading to devastating wildfires.
Other regions, including China's Sichuan province, US states Wyoming and Colorado, and Indonesian islands Sumatra and Borneo, also experienced record-breaking heat in July 2026.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
