Western Europe Records Hottest June and July Period Amid Ongoing Heatwaves
13 sources across 12 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- Le Monde
- France 24
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- The Times of Israel
- The Japan Times
- NRC
- Aftenposten
- Dawn
- Al Jazeera
- Business Day
- Neue Zuercher Zeitung
- The Independent
- CNN
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
Western Europe experienced its hottest June and July period ever recorded, with an average temperature of 21.62 degrees Celsius, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. This record surpasses the previous high set in 2022. The region is currently bracing for a fifth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures forecast to reach 36 degrees Celsius in parts of the United Kingdom and up to 40 degrees Celsius in southeastern France. In the UK, amber heat health alerts have been issued for most of England, while Météo-France has placed 43 departments on orange alert.
The extreme heat and lack of rainfall have led to severe droughts and historic wildfires across the continent. In France, a megafire in the Gironde department forced the evacuation of 220,000 people. In Spain, a large fire in Andalusia has burned over 20,000 hectares. Major rivers including the Rhine, Seine, and Danube have hit record lows, which has disrupted shipping in Germany and forced nuclear power plants in Hungary and Romania to reduce capacity or shut down due to insufficient cooling water.
Public health and economic impacts have been significant. Reports indicate thousands of excess deaths across Europe linked to heatwaves in May and June, with some estimates citing over 25,000 deaths across the continent this year. Economically, the drought has impacted agriculture and infrastructure. While some reports highlight the risk of the worst harvest ever in the UK, others note that the heat has led to record harvests and accelerated grape ripening in French vineyards. In Germany, the low water levels of the Rhine are expected to reduce GDP growth by 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points.
Scientists attribute these extremes to a combination of human-caused climate change and a supersized El Niño pattern. While 2026 is currently the third hottest year globally, behind 2024 and 2025, some experts suggest it could still become the hottest year on record by December.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the human cost, the environmental devastation of wildfires, and the long-term warnings from climate scientists.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the record-breaking temperature data and the immediate weather alerts for the public.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the systemic risks to energy infrastructure, the economic losses to GDP, and the logistical challenges for industry.
Sources
- Centre-right Aftenposten: France and Great Britain hit by new heatwave
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: June and July hottest on record in Western Europe, monitor says
- Centre-right Business Day: UK and France brace for fifth heatwave
- Centre-left CNN: Western Europe breaks temperature record in summer plagued by heatwaves and wildfires
- Centre-left Dawn: Europe braces for another summer heatwave
- Centre France 24: Europe: the hottest start of summer ever recorded
- Centre France 24: In France, heat leads to record harvests in the vineyards
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Heat and drought: Where electricity and water flow more sluggishly
- Centre-left Le Monde: Heatwave: 43 departments of the West and South-East on orange alert Tuesday
- Centre NRC: Climate stress will cost Europe dearly economically
- Centre-right Neue Zuercher Zeitung: LIVE TICKER - Heat in Europe: Large forest fire in Andalusia spreads +++ June and July in Western Europe as warm as ever
- Centre-left The Independent: Drought expected to be declared in more parts of England as another heatwave looms
- Centre-left The Independent: Amber heat health alerts issued in England as temperatures set to hit 36C
- Centre-left The Independent: Mapped: Where drought has been declared in the UK as another heatwave looms
- Centre-left The Independent: Mapped: UK to be hotter then Barcelona as fifth heatwave will bring 36C temperatures
- Centre-left The Independent: Swimming pools and car washes could be banned as drought to be declared across most of England
- Centre The Japan Times: How the hard reality of climate change hit Europe’s economy this summer
- Centre The Times of Israel: UK, France brace for another heat wave as western Europe sets temperature records
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.