Europe heatwave makes May 2026 second‑hottest on record

The world experienced its second-hottest May on record in 2026, driven by an unusually early and intense heatwave across Europe that broke national temperature records, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The agency's data, released on Wednesday, shows the global average temperature for the month was 15.81 degrees Celsius, or 1.42 degrees above pre-industrial levels from the 19th century.

The heatwave was particularly severe in Western Europe, where a "heat dome" of warm air from northern Africa pushed temperatures well above normal. Monthly temperature records were broken in Britain, France, Ireland, and Portugal. Copernicus noted the month was marked by a rapid transition from cooler-than-average conditions to one of the most intense heatwaves ever observed this early in the year. Feels-like temperatures reached 35 to 40 degrees Celsius across large parts of the continent.

Samantha Burgess, a climatologist with Copernicus, said the event demonstrates how quickly extreme weather is becoming the norm rather than the exception. The agency warned that the rapid transition likely increased impacts on populations, leaving little time for people,...