The world’s seas were warmer in July than in any other July since measurements began, while Western Europe experienced the hottest start to summer ever recorded. The extreme heat came with severe drought, very low river flows, and vegetation fires that affected huge areas.
Data published by the European Copernicus service shows that the average sea surface temperature, excluding polar regions, reached 20.96 degrees Celsius in July. This surpassed the previous record for this month of 20.89 degrees, set in 2023, according to the monthly bulletin from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, as reported by The Guardian.
On a global scale, July 2026 was the second hottest July ever measured, tied with 2024 and following the record set in 2023. The average surface air temperature reached 16.90 degrees Celsius, 1.47 degrees above the estimated level for the pre-industrial period.
– [The EU country that set a new all-time temperature record today](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/meteo/tara-ue-care-a-inregistrat-azi-un-nou-record-absolut-de-temperatura)
### Western Europe, two unprecedented months of heat
The situation was even more exceptional in Western Europe. The June-July period was the warmest ever recorded in this part of the continent.
The average temperature for the two months reached 21.62 degrees Celsius, 2.79 degrees above the 1991-2020 period average and surpassing the previous record set in 2022.
Since May, Western Europe has experienced four episodes of extreme heat, two of them in July alone. France, Spain, some regions of Germany, and the United Kingdom have been affected by nearly universal drought.
„We have not experienced such a climate in our lifetime and perhaps not even since the appearance of our civilization,” warns Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The heat and lack of precipitation feed off each other. As the soil dries out, it loses its ability to naturally cool the air, allowing temperatures to rise even further.
– [The Danube drying up reveals Romania’s vulnerabilities. Why drought has become a test for the entire economy](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/economie/dunarea-care-seaca-scoate-la-iveala-vulnerabilitatile-romaniei-de-ce-seceta-a-devenit-un-test-pentru-intreaga-economie)
### The Danube and the Rhine, among the affected rivers
The effects are already visible on the major watercourses of Europe. Copernicus shows that river flows have reached „exceptionally low” levels on the Seine, Rhine, and Danube.
The lack of water puts pressure on population supply, agriculture, ecosystems, river transport, and energy production.
In Poland, two coal-fired power plants had to shut down last week due to a lack of water for cooling. In Hungary, the country’s only nuclear power plant was shut down for the first time in its 44 years of operation. Issues caused by the low flow of the Danube have also appeared in Romania. In Cernavodă, energy production was affected this summer by the low level of the river, which provides the necessary water for cooling the reactors.
Drought is beginning to be seen in the economy as well. Preliminary estimates show that just the heatwave in June caused European grain growers losses of around two billion euros.
– [Romania among the top 5 European countries most affected by heatwaves. Fires and heatwaves have already caused damages of over 3 billion euros](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/economie/romania-in-top-5-tari-europene-cele-mai-afectate-de-valurile-de-caldura-incendiile-si-canicula-au-produs-deja-pagube-de-peste-3-miliarde-de-euro)
### Nearly half a million hectares burned in the EU
Dry soil and high temperatures have created ideal conditions for fires. Approximately 500,000 hectares have burned in the European Union since the beginning of the year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
In Western Europe alone, fires this summer have consumed tens of thousands of hectares. Copernicus speaks of exceptional activity both in terms of burned area and carbon emissions.
„Climate change is creating increasingly favorable conditions for the development of mega forest fires,” warns Víctor Resco de Dios, a professor of forest engineering at the University of Lleida.
He points out that what we consider today an extreme phenomenon could seem much less unusual in a few decades if adaptation measures do not keep pace with climate change.
– [UN warns: El Niño is intensifying unusually fast. What is the phenomenon and how can it change global weather](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/mediu/onu-avertizeaza-el-nino-se-intensifica-neobisnuit-de-repede-ce-este-fenomenul-si-cum-poate-schimba-vremea-pe-glob)
### A very strong El Niño is shaping up in the Pacific
The oceans show no signs of cooling. Record temperatures for July and severe marine heatwaves have been recorded in the western Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coast.
In the tropical Pacific, temperatures are also unusually high, amid the development of the El Niño phenomenon.
Copernicus estimates that it will intensify in the coming months.
„We are facing a very strong El Niño, the scale of which could be unprecedented,” says Carlo Buontempo.
The phenomenon could contribute to setting a new record for the global average temperature by the end of this year or early 2027.
However, El Niño is not the main cause of the long-term warming trend. The dominant factor remains the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere generated by human activities, emphasized the Copernicus director.