Milan, 2 Oct. (LaPresse) – Western Europe has experienced its hottest summer on record, whilst across the whole of Europe, the summer of 2026 was the third hottest on record. This is according to Copernicus, based on data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), managed by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS). Western Europe experienced its hottest summer on record, with an average temperature of 21.7 °C – 2.5 °C above the 1991–2020 average – surpassing the previous record set in 2003. The exceptional heat extended well beyond the middle months of summer, with record daily temperatures also recorded in May and September. The persistence and geographical extent of the heat were also remarkable: in 2026, there were 17 days on which at least 60 per cent of Western Europe recorded temperatures above 30 °C, compared with 11 in 2003 and 7 in 2025. Furthermore, taking Western Europe as a whole, by the end of the season there had been 41 days of ‘severe’ heat stress – a record number, 5 more than in 2003. For the same region, the number of days with ‘extreme’ heat stress – 13 in total – also set a record.
Climate: Summer 2026 the hottest ever recorded in Western Europe
Milan, 2 Oct. (LaPresse) – Western Europe has experienced its hottest summer on record, whilst across the whole of Europe, the summer of 2026 was the third hottest on record. This is according to Copernicus, based on data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), managed by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS). Western Europe experienced its hottest summer on record, with an average temperature of 21.7 °C – 2.5 °C above the 1991–2020 average – surpassing the previous record set in 2003. The exceptional heat extended well beyond the middle months of summer, with record daily temperatures also recorded in May and September. The persistence and geographical extent of the heat were also remarkable: in 2026, there were 17 days on which at least 60 per cent of Western Europe recorded temperatures above 30 °C, compared with 11 in 2003 and 7 in 2025. Furthermore, taking Western Europe as a whole, by the end of the season there had been 41 days of ‘severe’ heat stress – a record number, 5 more than in 2003. For the same region, the number of days with ‘extreme’ heat stress – 13 in total – also set a record.