Posts Tagged → Heatwaves

Copernicus: Oceans Hit Hottest Temperatures on Record for July

Copernicus: Oceans Hit Hottest Temperatures on Record for July

The world’s oceans hit their highest temperatures on record for July, Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program, reported today. Other stats of note for July 2026:

  • Globally, the month was the joint second warmest July on record, tied with July 2024 and behind the record set in July 2023, with an average surface air temperature 1.47°C hotter than the estimated pre-industrial baseline (1850-1900 average).
  • The average temperature for June–July for western Europe was the highest on record, at 21.62°C or 2.79°C above average, surpassing the previous record from 2022 and reflecting the exceptional persistence of heat since the beginning of summer.
  • The average Sea surface temperatures for the extra-polar ocean (60°S–60°N) in July 2026 was the highest on record for the month, at 20.96°C, surpassing the previous July record of 20.89°C, which was set in 2023.
  • Sea surface temperatures remained at exceptionally high levels across a large portion of the tropical Pacific, an area where current El Niño conditions are forecast to further strengthen in the coming months.
  • Around Europe, Sea surface temperatures reached record highs for July along the Atlantic coast and western Mediterranean, associated with widespread strong or severe marine heatwave conditions.

Said Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF):

“July 2026 was the third consecutive month of exceptional heat in western Europe, bringing the combined temperature for June and July to a new record for the region. Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought. As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily. This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”

Link.

NYT: Earth’s Warming Primed France and Spain to Burn, Scientists Find – Gift Link

NYT: Earth’s Warming Primed France and Spain to Burn, Scientists Find – Gift Link

NY Times coverage of last week’s World Weather Attribution report confirming that climate change is driving severe wildfire conditions in France and Spain:

Conditions as hot, dry and windy as those leading up to the giant wildfires in France and Spain this week have become more likely in those countries since humans began warming the planet, according to a new analysis.

A team of scientists examined weather records to see how often the regions around Bordeaux, in southwest France, and Madrid have been as parched and primed to burn as they have been in the past few weeks. The researchers’ findings are the latest evidence that parts of Southern Europe should expect huge fires to become a recurring threat.

The report also references a study published last week in the journal Scientific Reports that found:

that in large parts of Mediterranean Europe, the number of extremely hot, dry and windy summer days more than doubled from 1981 to 2025.

Fire prevention and firefighting capabilities can’t keep up, the study concludes.

The New Yorker: Why Is Europe Burning?

The New Yorker: Why Is Europe Burning?

Recent wildfires in southwestern France and central and eastern Spain have caused record-breaking destruction, burning 285,000 hectares (704,000 acres) and temporarily displacing 300,000 residents and tourists across the two countries in recent weeks. In France, it was the largest peacetime evacuation ever. Writing for The New Yorker, wildfire researcher and journalist M.R. O’Connor reports that climate change, which is fueling record-breaking temperatures, plays an important role, but so do modern forestry management and rewilding practices and rural depopulation in an area (Mediterranean Europe) which historically has experienced hot and dry summers and is “naturally predisposed to burn because of an annual cycle of wetting and drying”.

In June, Stephen Pyne, a former wildland firefighter and an emeritus professor of history at Arizona State University, published his forty-sixth book, “Undying Fire: A Fire History of Europe.” When I called him, he posed me one of his central questions about megafires: “Why is it that countries that we think of as modernized—those that have money, science, technology—are the ones that are being clobbered?” Climate change is, of course, part of the story. “Fossil fuels give you power,” Pyne told me, but burning them “disrupts the climate in ways that make fires more powerful.” Extreme fire weather, exceptionally dry, windy, and often warm conditions, is on the rise globally. That said, climate change is happening everywhere—and, in Pyne’s account, only some areas are experiencing worsening fires. This is one of the mysteries he’s interested in.

O’Connor continues:

I was surprised that in my reporting, experts from different backgrounds agreed about several things. They warned that countries need to involve local people in their fire-management strategies, and to balance suppression with prevention. They argued that communities could reduce wildfire risks by managing lands and not letting them go wild. One way for European countries to prevent fires is by supporting rural livelihoods and traditional practices such as grazing, farming, forestry, and the intentional setting of controlled fires. If people want to keep conflagrations in check, nature needs people. “What people need to realize is that this is a structural issue in society,” a Spanish fire professional told me. “We’ve turned our backs on the mountains, on nature—and cities have never been so affected by it.”

Link.

France Wildfires live updates: France 24, the Guardian and The New York Times (Gift link)

France Wildfires live updates: France 24, the Guardian and The New York Times (Gift link)

The devastation continues. As of early this evening 197,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in southwestern France because of the unprecedented wildfires that continue to burn and spread near Bordeaux. More than 70,000 have been evacuated in Spain, mostly from villages west of Madrid.

Live coverage from France 24, The Guardian and The New York Times (Gift link).

Wildfires have ravaged nearly 98,000 hectares (242,000 acres) in France this year, an area nearly 10 times the size of Paris. A fourth heatwave in two months is expected to kick in by Wednesday 29 July.

NYT: How Heat Affects the Brain – Gift link

NYT: How Heat Affects the Brain – Gift Link

This week’s NYT Climate Forward newsletter surveys recent research into how brain function changes when temperatures rise.

A growing body of research has shown that our brains work differently when temperatures spike. Test scores fall and drivers honk more often. The good news is that we’re learning a lot more about how heat affects the brain. In fact, hundreds of peer-reviewed papers on the connection between heat and health have been published in recent years.

But there are longer-term effects of exposure to heat to consider, too. Recent research has found that hotter weather may make the brain more vulnerable to air pollution, increasing the risk for dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

And this, on the impacts of the air pollution and heat combination:

Exposure to particulate air pollution, known as PM 2.5, is associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in older adults, they wrote. It can also affect brain development in young people, increasing the risk of anxiety and depression. The report cited an estimate that one in four dementia deaths is attributable to air pollution.

Link.

France records 2,025 excess deaths from heatwave, but data remains incomplete

France National Health Service Reports: France records 2,025 excess deaths from heatwave, but data remains incomplete.

Le Monde reports (subscription only):

A rapid-fire communication was aimed at quashing all speculation over deaths related to France’s record-breaking June heatwave, even if it meant presenting a partial picture that could get worse. In an update published on Friday, July 3, Santé publique France, the French national public health agency, estimated that 2,025 additional deaths were recorded between June 22 and June 28 compared to the previous week, an increase of 29.1%. While these figures should be interpreted with caution due to incomplete data, they offer a first snapshot of the fatal effects of the historic heatwave that swept across the country.

And from The Guardian’s report:

Public Health France said on Friday there had been “an increase of 29.1%, corresponding to 2,025 additional deaths compared with the previous week”. It said the figure was probably an underestimate and “mortality will rise further”.

Today in Nice – 29 June 2026

The heatwave that has been baking Europe for the last week is creeping eastward, but it still hit 34C (93F) late this afternoon in Nice and 33C (91F) in Monaco. And the airconditioning on the crowded 18:06 train from Monaco between the two wasn’t working. One passenger measured the temperature at 42C (108F). I watched passengers whose breathing labored. It was stifling.

Continue reading →

World Weather Attribution report: Fossil fuel emissions have rapidly worsened European heatwaves in just a few decades

World Weather Attribution report: Fossil fuel emissions have rapidly worsened European heatwaves in just a few decades.

A study by World Weather Attribution released on Friday (26 June) shows that the heatwave that is currently baking much of Europe is the continent’s worst so far, in terms of heat stress and temperatures, and that the recipe of conditions that created it would have been virtually just 50 years ago. Brought to you by fossil fuels.

Some of the major findings:

  • Heatwaves cause more deaths in Europe than all other natural hazards combined
  • Vulnerability to heat has shifted over time, from primarily elderly people living alone to populations facing socioeconomic disadvantage and chronic illness, including homeless people and migrants, highlighting the need for adaptive, equity-focused heat-health policies.
  • In 1976, when some of the previous European records were set, the 2026 temperatures would have been virtually impossible to occur in June, while also highly unlikely at any time of the year. In 2003, the first major heatwave of this century, daytime heat like this would still have been very rare, about 10 times less likely than today, while nighttime temperatures such as this June would have been more than a hundred times less likely in 2003.
  • Across large parts of Western Europe, June is warming faster than any other month. In addition, daily maximum temperatures are warming faster than night time temperatures, though both are warming much faster than global warming. The hottest daily temperatures are warming at about triple the rate of global warming and night time temperatures at about twice the rate. Many capital cities are experiencing not only their hottest June 3-day period but also the hottest three-day period since 1950, according to the ERA5 dataset. However, due to global warming these temperatures are now no longer unusual during the summer months in many capitals.
  • This means that a similar heatwave in June would have been about 3.5°C cooler during the day in 1976 and about 2°C cooler in 2003. The nighttime temperatures would have been about 2.4°C cooler in June 1976 and about 1.3°C cooler in June 2003.
  • This June 2026 heatwave occurred under a circulation pattern broadly similar to historical analogues – Southerly Flow. However, a similar circulation pattern now produces significantly hotter temperatures than it did in the mid-20th century because the climate baseline has warmed.

And

  • This summer shows that at 1.4°C of global warming, extreme heat is already reaching the limits of our societies’ ability to cope. Our analysis here shows that intense heat is increasing rapidly even in living memory, with such events tens to hundreds of times more likely since only 2003 and virtually impossible just 50 years ago. A rapid phase-out of fossil fuels is critical if we are to avoid even higher temperatures and their consequences in the future.

[Report summary] [Full report]

Copernicus Image of the Day: Heatwave affecting Western Europe in the third decade of June 2026

Copernicus Image of the Day: Heatwave affecting Western Europe in the third decade of June 2026

Today’s Image of the Day from the European Union’s Earth Observation programme. That’s a lot of red.

From the image description:

A severe heatwave is currently affecting western Europe, France and Spain being the most affected countries. According to the French Meteorological Agency Météo France, Tuesday 23 June was reported the hottest day recorded since measurements began in 1947. In Spain, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) issued a red alert for above average temperatures in several areas in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, including Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia, and Cantabria cities.

This data visualisation, based on data from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites acquired on 23 June 2026 at 09:54 UTC, shows the Land Surface Temperatures (LST) across central and southern France, and northern Spain. Extensive red and purple areas are visible, indicating peaks of the LST exceeding 50°C. It should be noted that LST values reflect ground surface temperature rather than air temperature. Although the two are broadly correlated, they can differ significantly.

Link.

Le Monde: France issues red heatwave alert on Sunday for third of country

Le Monde: France issues red heatwave alert on Sunday for third of country.

The red alert impacts 26 million people in 35 departments, more than a third of the country. Another 45 departments are on orange alert. From the report:

France issued a red heatwave alert across more than a third of the country for Sunday, June 21, as a ferocious heatwave dug in and the government banned the consumption of alcohol in public spaces in departments under this alert during the annual Fête de la Musique festivities.

The prolonged heatwave, which began earlier this week, has disrupted the country, forcing the cancellation of dozens of trains and the suspension of classes.

Link.

Guardian: ‘My head spins with the heat’ – India’s gig workers battle exhaustion amid soaring temperatures

Guardian: ‘My head spins with the heat’ – India’s gig workers battle exhaustion amid soaring temperatures.

The climate crisis is a serious health crisis. From the report:

Rising temperatures are turning cities across south and south-east Asia into places where workers can no longer recover from the heat. A new report by US-based People’s Courage International (PCI), using research in Delhi, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Jakarta and Quezon City, has found hotter nights, combined with the urban heat island effect – the trapping of heat inside dense cities – are leaving millions of informal workers exhausted before a new workday even begins.

And

The crisis is worsening in south Asia as climate change is predicted to triple the chance of pre-monsoon heatwaves, such as a 15-day one that turned deadly last month. Scientists say night-time temperatures are rising faster than daytime temperatures across much of the region, reducing the hours people once relied on to recover from extreme heat.

Across Asia, the International Labour Organization estimates that more than 70% of the workforce are exposed to excessive heat at some point during their jobs, with informal workers among the most vulnerable. This has a big impact in countries like India, where nearly 90% of workers are employed in the informal economy.

Link.

Le Monde: Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, France, Spain

Le Monde: Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, France, Spain.

All time record highs for the month of May bring in the first European heatwave of 2026. Among those was the UK where temps reached 34.8C, surpassing the previous all-time May peak of 32.8C, reached in 1922 and 1944. From the report:

Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, May 25, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer.

And

A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Restrictions on outdoor work were imposed in parts of Italy, beaches in southwest France filled earlier than usual and farmers reported accelerated harvests as temperatures went beyond 30°C across the region. Scientists say human-driven climate change is amplifying such extremes, with Europe warming faster than the global average and heatwaves growing more frequent and severe.

Link.