Western Europe breaks new heat record as wildfires rage in Albania and Spain
Copernicus reports Western Europe has set a new average temperature record for June-July, while wildfires continue to burn in Albania and Spain. Scientists say 2026 could become the hottest year on record.
The European climate agency Copernicus says Western Europe has surpassed the average temperature record for the June-July period previously set in 2022, with this year's average reaching 21.62 degrees Celsius.
The extreme heat, which began in May, has fueled major wildfires, prolonged drought, and new national temperature records across the region, along with a projected rise in heat-related deaths.
Globally, 2026 currently ranks as the third-hottest year on record, trailing 2024 and 2025. However, scientists say that a combination of accelerated human-caused warming and a strong El Niño could push 2026 to become the hottest year yet, or at least come close, by year's end.
July also brought the highest average sea surface temperature ever recorded across oceans free of seasonal ice, reaching 20.96 degrees Celsius and surpassing the previous 2023 record. Meanwhile, the global average surface air temperature for July stood at 16.90 degrees Celsius, tying with July 2024 as the second-warmest July on record.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over Western Europe, worsening widespread drought as dried-out soils lost their natural cooling capacity.
Fires in Albania and Spain
In Albania, firefighters, helicopters and military personnel worked through the night to contain a large wildfire on Mount Kruje, about 38 kilometers north of Tirana. Residents from several villages were evacuated, and police arrested a man suspected of starting the fire by burning dry grass near his home on Saturday, after strong winds pushed the flames out of control.
In Spain's Huelva province in Andalusia, a wildfire that has spread across nearly 4,000 hectares prompted the evacuation of about 470 residents. More than 500 firefighters, including a military emergency unit, along with roughly 20 water-dropping aircraft, are working to contain the blaze. Spain has faced a difficult wildfire season this summer, with multiple large fires forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.
