Europe and the UK have experienced unprecedented heatwaves in early July, following a record-shattering June. These extreme weather events serve as a stark indicator of the continent's evolving climate, a pattern scientists attribute to human-induced climate change.

Professor Stephen Belcher, chief scientist at the UK Met Office, stated that human-induced climate change has increased the likelihood and intensity of such events. The recent heatwaves are consistent with scientific predictions for a warming world, primarily driven by the release of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels.

June saw temperature records across Europe broken significantly. For instance, the UK recorded temperatures of 37.7 degrees Celsius (99.9 degrees Fahrenheit), a new June record. Other European nations also saw historic highs, with Hungary reaching 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the Czech Republic at 41.9 degrees Celsius (107.4 degrees Fahrenheit), and Germany at 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

The intensity of these heatwaves is further illustrated by how far average temperatures in the UK have deviated from the norm in May and June. In late May and late June, the UK experienced spikes in maximum daily temperatures roughly 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) above average, significantly exceeding the typical range for those periods.

A graph showing UK average maximum daily temperatures in 2026 so far, and how it compares with the long-term average. A black line shows increasing average maximum temperatures between January and June as winter progresses to summer. A wider grey area above and below this line shows the typical range of these maximum temperatures for each date since 1931. Maximum daily temperatures for 2026 are also shown as a thin grey line which goes above and below the average. Where temperatures in 2026 have been above average the area is shaded red; where temperatures have been below average the area is shaded blue. Most of the year has had above-average temperatures, with below-average temperatures less common. Two red spikes in late May and late June are significantly higher than even the highest values in the typical range, roughly 10C above average for the time of year.

Data from the UK shows a trend of increasingly frequent high June temperatures. Between 2017 and 2026, nine out of ten years saw June temperatures reach 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher. This contrasts sharply with the period before the year 2000, when such temperatures occurred only 12 times in 40 years.

Bar chart showing the maximum temperature recorded in June in the UK for each year since 1960. Years when temperatures reached 30C in June are coloured a darker shade of red. This is now happening much more often, with nine of the 10 years from 2017 to 2026 reaching 30C. This had only happened 12 times in 40 years before the year 2000.

Globally, all continents have experienced significant warming since 1946, with Europe warming at a faster rate than others. For the decade ending in 2025, Europe's average temperature is projected to be 0.87 degrees Celsius (1.57 degrees Fahrenheit) above the long-term average.

Multiple line graph showing average temperatures in the continents of the world since 1946, compared with the 1991-2020 average. The global average is marked in a dotted black line, which begins in the decade ending 1955 at a -1C difference and increases to a +0.5C difference by 2025. All of the continents have warmed significantly, especially since the 1980s and 1990s. But Europe has warmed faster than any other, with an average temperature for the decade ending 2025 measuring 0.87C above the long-term average. Its line is coloured red; other continents have grey lines.

Sea surface temperatures around Europe in June also showed above-average readings, with most oceanic areas warmer than usual. The North Sea, for example, was 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the 1993-2022 average.

Map of Europe showing sea surface temperatures in June compared with the 1993-2022 average. Almost all of Europe's ocean area is warmer than average, coloured orange or red. Europe's seas are annotated, alongside their June temperature compared with average. They are the Barents Sea at +1.7C, the White Sea at +3.4C, the Norwegian Sea at +1.2C, the Baltic Sea at +1.7C, the North Sea at +1.5C, the English Channel at +1.8C, the Bay of Biscay at +2.1C, the Black Sea at +0.7C and the Mediterranean Sea at +1.4C.

In the UK, over 170 weather stations broke their previous June temperature records, with the most significant margin observed in Lingwood, Norfolk, which surpassed its old record by 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Many areas in southern and western England, and parts of Wales, experienced at least one tropical night, defined as a night where temperatures do not fall below 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), between June 22 and 28.

Map of the UK showing weather stations where June temperature records were broken. The stations are marked by triangles; the taller the peak, the bigger the gap between the old record and the new one. More than 170 weather stations broke their previous temperature record, mainly across England and Wales. A few local records were also broken in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The biggest record-breaking margin was Lingwood in Norfolk, which broke its previous June record by 6 degrees Celsius.

Map of the UK showing places that experienced at least one tropical night between 22 and 28 June 2026. These areas are shaded yellow, orange or red, depending on how many times this occurred. Almost all of southern England, western England and Wales experienced at least one tropical night. Much of London, Bristol and Southampton and parts of Cardiff and Birmingham faced this three or four times, marked by darker oranges and reds.

These record-breaking temperatures and the increasing frequency of extreme heat events underscore the tangible impacts of a warming climate on Europe and beyond.