The WMO said on July 10 that Copernicus Climate Change Service (ECMWF) data show
Western Europe experienced sustained extreme heat and drought in July 2026.
June–July average temperature across Western Europe was 21.62°C, 2.79°C above
the 1991–2020 mean; July brought the third and fourth heatwaves since May.
Precipitation and soil moisture were abnormally low in parts of France, Spain,
the UK and Germany, and flows on the Seine, Rhine and Danube fell sharply,
weighing on water supply, agricultural irrigation, inland shipping and energy
production. Heat and drought also drove wildfire activity to abnormal levels.
Globally, July mean land surface temperature was 16.90°C, 1.47°C above
pre‑industrial levels—among the warmest Julys on record—and sea surface
temperatures along the European Atlantic coast and western Mediterranean set
period highs.
