European Heatwave Breaks June Temperature Records; Dozens Drown in France

Daytime temperatures exceeded 40°C in many locations across France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom during the week ending 26 June 2026. The World Weather Attribution group released a report on 26 June stating that the June 2026 European heatwave was the region’s most severe ever tracked for that month.

A heatwave with the same characteristics would have been approximately 3.5°C cooler in the June 1976 climate and about 2°C cooler in the 2003 climate, the report said.

Such events are now tens to hundreds of times more likely than in 2003 and were virtually impossible 50 years ago. Theodore Keeping of Imperial College London stated on 26 June that the June 2026 European heat event would not have been possible without climate change.

Friederike Otto said the weather pattern itself was not unusual but the temperatures were unprecedented without human-induced climate change.

The planet has warmed about 1.4°C above pre-industrial levels as of 26 June 2026. Of 850 European cities analysed by World Weather Attribution, 45 percent had broken or were expected to break their all-time June heat-stress records. The June 2026 heatwave was the second such episode in Europe in 2026 after an earlier heat period in May.

The heatwave was reported on 26 June to be moving eastwards toward Germany and central Europe. The World Weather Attribution report concluded that rapid phase-out of fossil fuels is critical to avoid higher future temperatures.