Western Europe had its hottest June and July on record

The European Union's weather agency says the average temperature in June and July in Western Europe was the highest on record.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service announced that the average in countries including France, Spain and Germany reached 21.62 degrees Celsius.

That is 2.79 degrees higher than the average during the period between 1991 and 2020. The agency said this reflects the exceptional persistence of heat since the beginning of summer.

The region has also been experiencing very low rainfall. The agency said water levels were extremely low in rivers such as the Seine, Rhine and Danube affecting water supplies and energy production.

An official at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts noted that persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over the region.

She said that as soils dried out, they lost their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily. She added that this is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes.

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