June 2026 Was the World’s Second-Warmest June on Record

Global Heat Reaches Exceptional Levels

June 2026 was the second-warmest June ever recorded globally, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The global average surface air temperature reached 16.54°C, which was 0.56°C above the 1991–2020 average for June and 1.39°C above the estimated 1850–1900 pre-industrial average.

The month was only 0.12°C cooler than June 2024, the warmest June on record. June 2026 was also 0.03°C warmer than June 2023, which had previously ranked third.

The latest figures reinforce a continuing pattern of unusually high global temperatures. Data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration independently placed June 2026 as the second-warmest June in its record, with global surface temperatures 1.09°C above the 20th-century average.

NOAA also reported that all ten of the warmest Junes in its 1850–2026 record have occurred since 2015. June 2026 marked the 50th consecutive June with global temperatures above the 20th-century average.

Oceans Add to the Heat

The warming was not limited to land. Global ocean surface temperatures also reached an exceptional level.

The average sea-surface temperature across extra-polar oceans, between 60°S and 60°N, reached 20.86°C in June 2026. That was the highest June value in the Copernicus record and exceeded the previous June record, set in 2024, by just 0.01°C.

Copernicus reported exceptionally warm conditions across a large part of the tropical Pacific. Developing El Niño conditions were present in the equatorial Pacific and were forecast to strengthen rapidly in the following months.

The high ocean temperatures also contributed to marine heatwaves in several areas, including the western Mediterranean and along Atlantic coasts. The combination of unusually warm oceans and high land temperatures contributed to the exceptional conditions observed during the month.

Western Europe Faces Record Heat

Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record. The region’s average surface temperature reached 20.74°C, about 3.05°C above the 1991–2020 average for June.

The heatwave intensified during the second half of the month, affecting large parts of western and central Europe. Monthly temperatures were 3–5°C above average across areas including France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Benelux countries.

Several countries recorded exceptional temperatures. Germany recorded 41.7°C at Coschen on 28 June, while France reached 43.8°C at Palluau. Spain recorded temperatures above 40°C in several locations, and Bilbao reached 42.7°C.

The heat was accompanied by widespread dryness. Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization reported that extreme heat and dry conditions contributed to wildfire activity, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France, while drought risks increased in parts of eastern Europe.

A Continuing Global Warning

The June figures underline that extreme heat is no longer an isolated regional phenomenon. Unusually high temperatures affected land and oceans across multiple parts of the world, while Europe experienced a particularly severe heatwave.

Outside Europe, Copernicus reported much-above-average temperatures in central Asia and western Siberia, northern Canada and areas west of the Antarctic Peninsula. Warmer-than-average conditions also prevailed across much of Africa, Australia and the western United States.

At the same time, colder-than-average conditions occurred in parts of East Asia, southeastern South America and much of eastern Antarctica, showing that global warming does not mean every location is warmer at every moment.

The significance of June 2026 lies in the combination of persistent global heat, record ocean temperatures and increasingly severe regional extremes. The figures provide another clear measure of a warming planet and the growing pressure that extreme heat places on societies, ecosystems and infrastructure.