Satellite images and meteorological data show that July 2026 was Europe’s hottest July on record in terms of both atmospheric and sea temperatures, while drought and wildfires also reached record levels. In Italy, 19 cities are under a red alert today, rising to 20 tomorrow.
Europe is experiencing a period in which temperature records and the methods used to measure them since the 17th century appear to be rapidly being rewritten. The continent is facing a succession of heatwaves.
The United Kingdom and France are preparing for their fifth heatwave. France’s national weather service, Météo-France, warned that temperatures in the country’s southeast could approach 40°C today.
The UK’s Met Office, meanwhile, said temperatures could reach 37°C in parts of eastern England by Thursday. That would be 3.8°C above the 1991-2020 average.
In Spain, the national weather agency Aemet reported that the average temperature in July was 25.7°C, or 2.6°C above the seasonal norm.
Across Europe, temperature records are being broken one after another.
Europe’s landscape is changing
As French thinker Roland Barthes once suggested, few subjects are as ideological as the weather. But Europe is now facing another spectre that has little to do with politics: extreme heat.
Data released by Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation and monitoring programme, clearly show the upward trend in temperatures.
According to Copernicus, July 2026 was the hottest July on record for atmospheric and sea temperatures. The month also saw record levels of drought and wildfires.
Satellite images provided by the programme offer a striking picture of how Europe’s landscape is changing.
Plains and hills that were green only a few years ago have turned brown, while some glaciers have disappeared entirely and rivers have been reduced to little more than dry channels. Northern France is among the areas where the transformation is particularly visible.
Globally, July was also the hottest on record in parts of 33 countries inhabited by around 900 million people, according to Copernicus data.
Drought grips Europe
Copernicus’ drought indicator, based on satellite observations, combines three key factors: rainfall, soil moisture and vegetation conditions.
According to these indicators, soil moisture levels across many parts of Europe were significantly lower in July than they had been in July 2022. High temperatures further intensified the drought.
Spain experienced its driest July since records began in 1961.
Around half of England is also experiencing drought conditions. The country went seven consecutive weeks with less than 10 millimetres of rainfall, with some weeks recording less than 1 millimetre.
The dry conditions are also fuelling wildfires.
By the end of July, around 42,000 hectares had burned in southwestern France, while 220,000 people were evacuated in the Gironde region.
During the same period, Spain’s largest wildfire on record burned nearly 44,000 hectares near Madrid.
Mediterranean temperatures reach 30-year highs
Ronan McAdam, an oceanographer at the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), said sea and atmospheric temperatures had reached levels not seen in the past 30 years.
McAdam said sea temperatures in the western Mediterranean were 8°C above average in June.
In July, temperatures were 4-5°C above the average recorded in recent years, he said, adding that further temperature records are likely to be broken in the future.
Heat alert in Italy
The heatwave continues to grip Italy.
According to Italy’s Health Ministry, 19 cities will be under a red heat alert today, rising to 20 tomorrow.
High temperatures and humidity are affecting much of the country, leaving few places where people can expect relief from the heat.
Cagliari, where temperatures are expected to reach 34°C today and which remains under a yellow alert, is among the few places offering some prospect of cooler conditions.
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