Record-Breaking June Heat in Western Europe

Western Europe faced its hottest June on record last month as a relentless heat wave affected France, Britain, Spain, and other countries. Scientists from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service, reported the average temperatures were 3.05 degrees Celsius, or 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit, above recent decades.

Globally, last June was recorded as the second warmest. The planet’s average temperature was 1.39 degrees Celsius, or 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than pre-industrial levels when large-scale burning of fossil fuels began contributing to global warming.

Samantha Burgess, a climate scientist with Copernicus, emphasized the ongoing accumulation of heat in the climate system. This trend results in more intense heat waves, warmer oceans, and increased risks for people, ecosystems, and infrastructure not only in Europe but worldwide.

The heat in Western Europe last month followed another severe heat wave in May. Temperatures had eased slightly before rising once again this week. Significant temperature records were shattered in countries like England, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. France experienced its hottest day on record, not only for June but for any month, and did so consecutively for three days.

Prolonged summer heat is linked to familiar atmospheric patterns, but rising global temperatures due to carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases make record-breaking heat events more likely.

Scientists assessing June’s heat wave concluded that climate change significantly boosted the probabilities of such extreme temperatures. Even compared to the 2003 heat wave that caused over 70,000 excess deaths in Europe, the likelihood of this heat wave was higher.

In France, health authorities reported 1,000 excess deaths during the country’s three hottest days in late June, with 85% of the victims aged 65 or older. However, increased mortality was noted across all age groups. Estimates suggest heat-related deaths in France last month may have exceeded 2,700.

Raymond Zhong covers climate and environmental topics for The Times.