Western Europe posts hottest June on record amid heatwaves
Copernicus said Western Europe’s June temperature averaged 20.74C, with heat, humidity and dry conditions worsening risks across the continent.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Western Europe recorded its warmest June in data reported by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, as a late-month heatwave pushed temperatures more than 3C above the 1991-2020 average. Copernicus said the heat coincided with dry conditions and wildfires in parts of Europe, adding pressure to a continent already seeing more frequent and intense hot spells.
The service said Thursday that Western Europe’s average temperature for June reached 20.74C, or 69.33F. Records fell in several countries during the second half of the month, according to Copernicus.
Globally, Copernicus said June averaged 16.54C, or 61.77F, which was 0.56C above the 1991-2020 average for the month. The service also said June was 1.39C warmer than the estimated June average for the pre-industrial period from 1850 to 1900.
Heat, humidity and warmer seas
Copernicus said oceans outside the polar regions also set a June record, with the average sea surface temperature reaching 20.86C, or 69.55F. The Mediterranean experienced a record marine heatwave, while Europe’s Atlantic coasts also saw hot spells that put ecosystems at risk, according to the service.
Samantha Burgess, strategic climate lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates Copernicus, said high humidity made the heatwave more severe. She said humidity reduced nighttime relief and produced a series of “tropical nights.”
Burgess also linked warm seas to warmer nights near the coast, saying that when ocean water is hot, sea breezes provide less cooling. Copernicus described the June pattern as a “heat dome,” with high pressure trapping heat over the region.
Deaths, wildfires and drought risk
Al Jazeera, AFP and EPA reported that thousands of deaths were linked to the heatwave, mostly in France, Spain and Belgium. An AFP analysis found that more than two-thirds of Europeans, or 410 million people, experienced temperatures above 35C during the June heatwave.
Copernicus said dry conditions in southwestern Europe helped fuel wildfire activity, including in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. The service also said drought risks increased in Eastern Europe.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, and shifts in atmospheric circulation are contributing to more frequent and stronger heatwaves, according to Copernicus. The agency said June’s extreme heat followed a series of severe weather events and pointed to challenges Europe is expected to face in the years ahead.
Copernicus publishes regular assessments of temperature, precipitation and sea ice. The service says its data combine computer analyses with observations from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.