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by IANS |
Brussels, July 9 (IANS) Western Europe recorded its hottest June ever, with average temperatures reaching 20.49 degrees Celsius as two powerful heatwaves drove extreme weather across the region.
The first heatwave scorched western and southern Europe on June 17-22, engulfing Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, said the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on Wednesday.
A second, more intense heat wave struck at the end of the month, registering a regional daily average of 24.9 degrees Celsius on June 30 and July 1 -- the highest ever recorded in June.
The searing condition pushed June 2025's temperatures 0.06 degrees Celsius above 2003's previous high and a staggering 2.81 degrees Celsius beyond the 1991-2020 average, C3S said.
The C3S blamed "heat domes" -- persistent high-pressure systems -- for trapping scorching air over Europe, prolonging droughts, worsening ozone pollution and fueling wildfire threats.
Tropical nights, when temperatures do not drop below 20 degrees Celsius, became widespread across southern Europe during the period. Some regions in Spain reported up to 24 such nights, 18 more than the average for June. Mediterranean coastal zones, which usually experience few or no tropical nights in June, saw 10 to 15, Xinhua news agency reported.
Such nighttime heat can prevent the body from recovering from daytime stress, posing heightened health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups, said the C3S.
Meanwhile, the western Mediterranean Sea experienced an unprecedented marine heatwave. On June 30, sea surface temperatures averaged 27 degrees Celsius, a record high for the month. The daily anomaly of 3.7 degrees Celsius was the largest ever recorded in any month.
"This heatwave was made more intense by record sea surface temperatures in the western Mediterranean. In a warming world, heatwaves are likely to become more frequent, more intense and impact more people across Europe," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Globally, June 2025 was the third-warmest June on record, behind only 2023 and 2024, according to the C3S.
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