Scientists from the European Union confirmed on Thursday that Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record, after a severe heatwave at the end of the month recorded the highest temperatures and caused disruptions to electricity supplies and school closures.

It was the second hottest June globally.

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said in its monthly bulletin that last month was the second hottest June globally, and the planet experienced the highest sea surface temperatures for that month since records began.

The data showed that the average temperature in Western Europe last month was 20.74°C, more than three degrees Celsius above the June average for 1991-2020.

Copernicus defines Western Europe as starting from Spain and Britain eastward to Italy, Germany and part of Austria. The region has so far suffered three severe heatwaves in three months, and countries such as Spain and Portugal are facing another one this week.

Samantha Burgess, strategic lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said that June 2026 highlighted the depth of climate change, resulting in increasing intensity of heatwaves, a persistently warm ocean, and growing risks to populations, ecosystems, and infrastructure across Europe and beyond.

National authorities reported more than 4,700 excess deaths in France, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands during the heatwave in June, with the total in other countries likely higher. The extreme heat also fueled wildfires in Iberia and France and exacerbated drought conditions.