Western Europe experienced hottest June-July on record: EU monitor

Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record in 2023, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The combined average temperature for the two months was 21.62°C (71°F), surpassing the previous record set in 2022. This unprecedented heat was driven by a series of intense heat waves and scorching temperatures, accompanied by bone-dry conditions.

Soil moisture levels were significantly lower than in July 2022, exacerbating the severity of the drought. The exceptional dryness was observed across multiple European nations, including France, Spain, Austria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and parts of Iceland. The impacts of the hot and dry conditions were felt across various sectors, such as transport, irrigation, and energy production, and provided ideal conditions for wildfires.

France and Spain faced their worst infernos in recent memory, while other regions in Europe and the northwestern U.S. and Canada also experienced significant blazes. The world's oceans reached record-high temperatures for a second consecutive month in July, driven by marine heat waves around Europe and the emergence of a powerful El Niño in the Pacific.

The global average sea surface temperature in July was 20.96°C (70°F), breaking the previous record set in 2023. El Niño, a natural climate cycle, is likely contributing to the record sea temperatures. Climate scientists emphasize that these extreme heat, drought, and fire-prone conditions are a clear manifestation of climate change intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought reinforcing one another.

They warn that we have not seen such a warm climate during our lifetimes, if ever, and are on track for even higher temperatures in the coming years, largely due to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.