Western Europe records hottest June-July at 21.62°C

Western Europe just lived through its hottest June-July stretch on record, with the combined average temperature hitting 21.62°C—half a degree warmer than the same period in 2022, which was itself a record-breaker. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed the milestone on Monday, pointing to relentless heat domes parked over France, Spain and Italy that refused to budge.

This isn’t a random spike. The Atlantic jet stream has been sluggish for two summers running, allowing high-pressure systems to stall and bake the continent. Scientists say climate change is doubling down on natural variability; the World Meteorological Organization notes Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average. Soil moisture is at historic lows in parts of southern France and northern Spain, turning forests into tinder and rivers into ribbons. Firefighters in Catalonia are still mopping up blazes started by lightning strikes in June.

The human toll is clear. France’s health ministry counted 2,000 extra deaths during the July heatwave, most among people over 75. Spain’s reservoirs are below 25% capacity in Andalusia, forcing farmers to leave fields fallow. Wildfires have torched more than 100,000 hectares in Greece so far this year, already surpassing the full-year toll of 2023. Energy grids are straining as demand for cooling spikes and hydroelectric output falls.

What happens next is predictable and preventable. Forecasters expect August to stay warmer than average, especially in the Mediterranean. Governments have pledged tougher water restrictions and forest management, but critics say adaptation is moving too slowly. The bigger risk is that this record becomes routine. If global emissions keep rising at current rates, Met Office models show Europe could see summer temperatures 3-4°C above pre-industrial levels by mid-century, turning today’s extremes into tomorrow’s norm.