Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record last month, according to the EU's Copernicus climate monitor. Extreme temperatures hit the region with a series of severe heat waves.

Globally, last June was the third warmest on record, continuing a series of heatwaves in recent years as the planet warms as a result of greenhouse gas emissions from humanity.

The previous hottest June was in 2024, and the second hottest was in 2023, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

The extreme heat was particularly pronounced in Europe, which is warming several times faster than the global average, AFP reported.

Millions of people were exposed to high heat stress in different parts of the continent as average daily temperatures in Western Europe reached levels rarely seen before — and never so early in the summer.

Several countries reported temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, with Spain and Portugal reaching 46 degrees, Copernicus said.

Samantha Burgess, strategic climate leader at the EU monitoring agency, said the impact of heatwaves in Europe was “exceptional,” exacerbated by record sea surface temperatures in the western Mediterranean, which reached their highest daily value ever in June.

“In a warming world, heatwaves are likely to become more frequent, more intense, and affect more people across Europe,” she said.

The two heat waves—from June 17 to 22 and again from June 30 to July 2—were associated with heat domes that trapped warm air over the affected regions, prolonging the stifling weather and worsening pollution and forest fire conditions.

Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and much of the Balkans recorded some of the highest “feels-like” temperatures, which measure the impact on the human body by taking into account factors such as humidity.

Maximum perceived temperatures north of Lisbon reached 48°C, which is about 7°C above average and is associated with “extreme heat stress,” Copernicus reported.

Sea surface temperatures in the western Mediterranean were “exceptionally high” during the month, about 5°C above average in some areas, with temperatures reaching a record 27°C on June 30.

Higher water temperatures reduced nighttime cooling of the air along the coast, contributed to higher humidity, and harmed marine life, Copernicus said. | BGNES