Europe’s weather was a very mixed picture this summer, EU data shows

This summer was the warmest on record in Europe, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) – but not for everyone. 

Parts of northwest Europe, including Iceland and Ireland, were cooler than average. Northern and western areas of the UK also saw below-average temperatures and overall the country experienced its coolest summer since 2015. 

In stark contrast, other parts of the continent saw substantial periods of extreme heat during the season. 

In June, for example, Italy and Turkey were impacted by heatwaves with local temperatures reaching 40C in many locations. 

July brought high temperatures in Italy, Greece and Bulgaria then August brought similar conditions to much of southeastern Europe including Portugal and Spain. 

Overall, southeastern Europe and Scandinavia experienced their hottest summers on record. Southeastern Europe in particular experienced up to 60 per cent more warm daytimes than average. 

Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world with temperatures rising at around twice the rate of the global average.  

C3S says overall temperatures over the continent’s land between June and August were 1.54C higher than the 1991 to 2020 average. That exceeds the previous record set in 2022 by 0.2C. 

A record number of days of heat stress

“Europe saw its warmest summer on record in 2024,” says Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S. 

“The extreme temperatures in regions such as southeastern Europe are impacting the wellbeing of Europeans, as citizens in this region are experiencing more heat stress than ever before.” 

Heat stress is an indicator of how different thermal conditions affect the human body. It takes into account factors like wind speed and humidity to measure how temperatures actually feel. 

Southeastern Europe experienced 66 days of strong heat stress during the summer of 2024. That means that perceived temperatures were 32C or above.  

This is the highest number of heat stress days on record for the region by a large margin with the average number of days with strong heat stress during summer around 29. 

Some parts of Spain and Turkey even saw extreme heat stress meaning temperatures felt like they were 46C or above – a level that is dangerous to human health. 

Heat stress kills at least 175,000 people each year across Europe, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates from earlier this year. It was found to be the leading cause of climate-related death in the region. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Rainfall records also saw stark contrasts

Rainfall in Europe this summer was also a tale of stark contrast across regions. Most of the continent saw a below-average number of wet days. 

But some regions, including northern UK, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries saw up to 20 more wet days than average. 

While 35 per cent of European rivers were notably or exceptionally low – especially in the southeast – much of central Europe saw exceptionally high average river flows for this time of year.