A record 52 percent of the European continent was exposed to intense heat stress during the summer of 2026, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate monitoring service. The season saw Europe experience four of its 10 worst heatwaves on record.
Europe – the world's fastest-warming continent – endured a succession of heatwaves fuelled by climate change this summer. Beginning unusually early in the year, these extreme weather events broke temperature records and contributed to tens of thousands of excess deaths.
