France, July 9 -- The average temperature in western Europe reached 20.74C in June, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which was 3.05C above the average temperatures from 1991 to 2020.

This broke the previous record set in June 2025, when temperatures were 2.81C above the average.

It was the world's second hottest June on record, and the second hottest for Europe as a whole. Copernicus defines western Europe as spreading from Spain and the United Kingdom eastwards to Italy, Germany and part of Austria.

As human-induced climate change continues to push temperatures higher, Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with changes in atmospheric circulation fuelling more frequent and more intense heatwaves.

Why is E...