emirates7 - Western Europe just experienced ​its warmest June on record, EU scientists confirmed on Thursday, after an extreme heatwave at the ‌end of the month smashed temperature records, disrupted power supplies and shut schools.

Last month was also the second-warmest June globally, and the planet experienced the highest June sea surface temperatures since records began, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a ​monthly bulletin.

The average temperature in Western Europe last month was 20.74 degrees Celsius (69.3 degrees Fahrenheit), more ​than 3 °C above the average for June during 1991-2020, the data showed.

"June 2026 underscored how profoundly the climate is changing," said Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. "The result is increasingly intense heatwaves, a persistently warm ocean, and growing risks ​for people, ecosystems and infrastructure across Europe and beyond.”

National authorities reported more than 4,700 excess deaths in France, ​Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands during the June heatwave — with the total across other countries likely to be higher — while ‌the intense heat also fuelled wildfires in Iberia and France and exacerbated drought conditions.