{
  "id": 432808,
  "title": "Western Europe experienced hottest June-July on record: EU monitor",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record-eu-monitor",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-10T02:45:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/08/1507923/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-record-eu-monitor"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Western Europe endured its hottest June-July on record in 2024, according to the EU's climate monitoring body, the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The combined average temperature for the two months was 21.62C, surpassing the previous record set in 2022. This stark warning underscores the intensifying effects of climate change, with heatwaves, drought, and wildfires becoming increasingly prevalent across the region. Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates Copernicus, highlighted how heat and drought are reinforcing each other, leading to severely reduced soil moisture levels. The exceptional heat persisted throughout the summer, affecting not only France, Spain, Austria, and Hungary but also the United Kingdom, Ireland, and parts of Iceland. Low river flows, particularly in the Seine, Rhine, and Danube rivers, disrupted transportation, irrigation, and energy production. The extreme conditions also created ideal circumstances for wildfires, with France and Spain experiencing their worst blazes in living memory. The world's oceans reached record-high temperatures in July, driven by marine heatwaves around Europe and the arrival of a powerful El Nino in the Pacific. Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo emphasized the role of the developing El Nino as a significant factor behind the record sea temperatures. El Nino, a natural climate cycle that temporarily raises ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific, is expected to peak at the end of the year, potentially setting new global temperature records in 2027. The last 11 years have been the hottest on record, and Buontempo emphasized that the current warming is largely driven by greenhouse gas emissions.",
  "summary": "PARIS: Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record as climate change fuels an historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU’s global warming monitor said Monday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 18,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CityNews",
        "title": "Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves pummel the region",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-sets-new-temperature-record-as-heat-waves-pummel-the-434081",
        "published": "2026-08-10T02:11:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves pummel the region",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-sets-new-temperature-record-as-heat-waves-pummel-the-432506",
        "published": "2026-08-10T02:11:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves pummel the region",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-sets-new-temperature-record-as-heat-waves-pummel-the",
        "published": "2026-08-10T02:12:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves pummel the region",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-sets-new-temperature-record-as-heat-waves-pummel-the-429893",
        "published": "2026-08-10T02:23:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "Western Europe experienced hottest June-July on record",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record",
        "published": "2026-08-10T02:38:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Western Europe logs hottest June-July on record, EU monitor says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-logs-hottest-june-july-on-record-eu-monitor-says",
        "published": "2026-08-10T02:39:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves pummel the region",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-sets-new-temperature-record-as-heat-waves-pummel-the-434070",
        "published": "2026-08-10T02:59:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Western Europe experienced hottest June-July on record: EU monitor",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record-eu-monitor-436637",
        "published": "2026-08-10T03:20:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "Western Europe records hottest June and July on record",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-records-hottest-june-and-july-on-record",
        "published": "2026-08-10T03:49:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves continue to pummel region",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-sets-new-temperature-record-as-heat-waves-continue-to",
        "published": "2026-08-10T04:10:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Tempo.co English",
        "title": "Western Europe Records Hottest June and July on Record",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-records-hottest-june-and-july-on-record-439476",
        "published": "2026-08-10T04:17:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Mainichi",
        "title": "Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves pummel the region",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-sets-new-temperature-record-as-heat-waves-pummel-the-440078",
        "published": "2026-08-10T04:30:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "Western Europe experienced hottest June-July on record: EU monitor",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record-eu-monitor-445065",
        "published": "2026-08-10T06:41:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves pummel the region",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-sets-new-temperature-record-as-heat-waves-pummel-the-450807",
        "published": "2026-08-10T06:49:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Local Germany",
        "title": "Western Europe experienced hottest June-July on record",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record-453401",
        "published": "2026-08-10T08:35:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Local Spain",
        "title": "Western Europe experienced hottest June-July on record",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record-453478",
        "published": "2026-08-10T08:35:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Local France",
        "title": "Western Europe experienced hottest June-July on record",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/western-europe-experienced-hottest-june-july-on-record-453364",
        "published": "2026-08-10T08:35:47.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}