The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported 41 days of “strong” heat stress in Western Europe during summer 2026, a record and five more than in 2003, when the region recorded 36 days of “strong” heat stress.

“Summer 2026 was exceptionally warm across much of Europe, with the most pronounced conditions in Western Europe, where repeated heatwaves occurred from May to September. Averaged over European land, summer 2026 (June–August) was 1.17°C warmer than the 1991–2020 average, making it the third-warmest summer for Europe in the ERA5 dataset. Only 2024 (+1.55°C) and 2022 (+1.34°C) were warmer,” the C3S wrote in its latest report, “European Summer 2026: Records, Extremes and Context”.

Western Europe experienced its warmest summer on record, with an average temperature of 21.7°C, 2.5°C above the 1991–2020 average.

Seasonal records were set across virtually all of England, Wales and Belgium, as well as large parts of France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Austria, mostly in June.

“In a survey of over 27,000 people across 27 European countries, analysed by the EEA and Eurofound, heat was the most commonly reported climate-related problem. Over 38% of respondents said they could not afford to keep their home adequately cool in summer,” the European Environment Agency (EEA) commented, adding that heat causes more deaths in Europe than any other weather- or climate-related extreme.

The EEA added that a briefing covering its 38 member and cooperating countries found that 21 had heat-health action plans in place.

The C3S report explains that the atmospheric conditions that lead to heatwaves, including clear skies and light winds, also caused exceptionally warm seas.

“The warmer than average seas helped sustain high temperatures, particularly along coasts, limiting nighttime cooling and resulting in tropical nights,” the report reads, adding that, in contrast, a large area farther west in the North Atlantic remained cooler than average.

The C3S also reports that persistent dryness and repeated heatwaves contributed to an exceptionally active wildfire season across parts of Europe. "According to the European Forest Fires Information System (EFFIS), by 2 September, around 653,1100 ha had burned across the EU, almost twice the 2006–2025 average for the same point in the year. Spain fires accounted for half of the total burned area, while exceptional fire activity also affected France, Portugal and Italy."