Western Europe records hottest-ever June as heatwaves intensify

Cows lie in a dry field near Bedarieux, southern France. Photograph: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Cows lie in a dry field near Bedarieux, southern France. Photograph: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images Western Europe records hottest-ever June as heatwaves intensify Temperatures across ravaged region 3C above average as scientists warn of risks for people, ecosystems and infrastructure Record wildfires in Europe show failure to adapt carries a mounting cost Western Europe has been scorched by its hottest June on record, scientists have said, as the UK enters its third heatwave of the year and wildfires ravage France and Spain. Inflamed by carbon pollution , the deadly June heatwave helped push surface air temperatures for the region 3.06C above their average from recent decades, according to the EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring service. View image in fullscreen Smoke rising from a wildfire in Pouzols-Minervois in south-western France. Photograph: Idriss Bigou-Gilles/AFP/Getty Images Globally, June 2026 was 0.56C hotter than the 1991-2020 average and 1.39C hotter than preindustrial levels, making it the second-warmest June on record, the agency found. The planet’s oceans were hotter than scientists had ever seen them. “Together, these records reflect a climate system continuing to accumulate heat,” said Samantha Burgess, a climate scientist at Copernicus. “The result is increasingly intense heatwaves, a persistently warm ocean, and growing risks for people, ecosystems and infrastructure.” June temperatures chart Western Europe is facing its third heatwave in six weeks and widespread dryness is helping small wildfires explode into unchecked blazes. Copernicus said the succession of heatwaves illustrated “the growing challenge” posed by worsening heat extremes. Raging infernos have laid waste to large areas of southern Europe in recent days, prompting the EU to scramble firefighters and water-bearing planes to help national services overwhelmed by simultaneous blazes. Data published on Tuesday shows EU wildfires have burned 56% more land than usual. The area that has gone up in flames is four times bigger than the average for this time of year in France , where 35,400 hectares (87,474 acres) have burned, and double the average in Spain, where 55,128 hectares (136,224 acres) have burned, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. France wildfires chart Spain wildfires chart Barcelona set a new heat record on Wednesday with temperatures of 40.5C, Spanish meteorologists said, while in France a 22-year-old firefighter died after tackling a blaze in the Alps, the French interior ministry reported. In the UK, where Met Office scientists warned seas are facing an “extreme” marine heatwave on Wednesday, daytime temperatures on land are expected to reach highs of 34C on Thursday. While not as scorching as June’s record-breaking heat, the high temperatures are expected to drag out over a sweltering 10 days. The Met Offic