Last month was the second-warmest June on record globally, and the hottest June recorded in western Europe, EU earth-monitoring programme Copernicus said today.
The global average surface air temperature in June was 16.54°C, 0.56°C higher than the 1991-2020 average and 1.39°C above the pre-industrial average, Copernicus data show.
Much of western and central Europe was affected by a severe heatwave in June.
"Many June and some all-time records for daily maximum temperature" were broken in several countries, Copernicus said. The average temperature over European land in June was the second-highest on record, at 19.14°C. This is 1.78°C above the 1991-2020 average for the month, Copernicus data show. Western Europe, which was most affected by extreme heat, experienced its hottest June on record, with an average temperature of 20.74°C — 3.05°C above the 1991-2020 average for the month, Copernicus said.
The average sea surface temperature in non-polar oceans in June was the highest on record for the month, at 20.86°C, just marginally above the average temperature for June 2024, Copernicus said. Sea surface temperatures were at "exceptionally high levels across a large portion of the tropical Pacific", where El Nino conditions are present, "and forecast to strengthen rapidly", Copernicus said.
El Nino is forecast to be a "strong" event, the World Meteorological Organisation said earlier in July. This increases the chance of extreme weather events.
"June 2026 underscored how profoundly the climate is changing", said Copernicus' strategic lead for climate Samantha Burgess. The records broken in Europe last month "reflect a climate system continuing to accumulate heat. The result is increasingly intense heatwaves, a persistently warm ocean, and growing risks for people, ecosystems and infrastructure", Burgess said.
The hottest year on record is 2024. The past three years, 2023-25, are the hottest three years recorded.
