Europe recorded record heat in 2025

What's happened

The World Meteorological Organization and European agencies have released their 2025 State of the Climate findings saying at least 95% of Europe has recorded above-average annual temperatures, marine heatwaves and more than 1 million hectares burned by wildfires; glaciers and snow cover have lost mass and the Greenland ice sheet has contributed to sea level rise.

What's behind the headline?

What the numbers mean

• Europe has warmed about twice as fast as the global average over the last 30 years, and 2025 has extended that trend with at least 95% of the continent above normal temperatures.
• Ocean temperatures have set records for a fourth consecutive year, producing marine heatwaves that are damaging ecosystems and will continue to stress fisheries and coastal communities.

Drivers and dynamics

• Burning of coal, oil and gas is continuing to raise greenhouse gas levels, which is amplifying natural variability such as El Niño. The reports show human-caused warming is compounding weather extremes.
• Drier soils and earlier vegetation growth are increasing fuel loads; the result is that fires are burning larger areas and turning forests from carbon sinks into temporary carbon sources.

Near-term consequences

• Snow cover and glacier mass will continue to decline this decade, which will increase seasonal water stress for agriculture and hydroelectric supply in southern and alpine regions.
• Marine heatwaves will keep disrupting fisheries and marine biodiversity; coastal economies that rely on tourism and fishing will see recurring damage.

Policy and adaptation outlook

• Renewables produced more than fossil fuels for the third straight year in Europe’s power mix, but the reports are showing that current emissions reductions will not avoid further warming. Governments will face rising pressure to accelerate emissions cuts and to scale up flood, fire and heat adaptation measures.

Forecast

• With El Niño returning this year, Europe will likely experience another season of elevated temperatures and increased wildfire risk; heat-driven impacts will therefore increase in the short term and will demand faster policy action.

How we got here

Scientists have been tracking accelerating warming in Europe for decades. Copernicus, ECMWF and the WMO have produced annual assessments combining satellite, ocean and ground observations to monitor temperature, sea surface heat, glacier mass and wildfire area; 2025 continues a multi-year trend of rising sea surface temperatures and extreme heat events.

Our analysis

The WMO and ECMWF reports are foregrounding the same core findings across outlets. Al Jazeera summarised the WMO/ECMWF conclusion that "Almost the whole region has seen above-average annual temperatures," and noted wildfires burned more than 1 million hectares. The New York Times highlighted the scientific consensus that these impacts "are all consequences of global warming, mainly driven by the burning of coal, oil and gas," quoting Florian Pappenberger of ECMWF. France 24 reported detailed figures—"at least 95 percent of the region experienced above-average annual temperatures"—and cited WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo saying ‘‘Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe.'’ The Guardian provided human-impact detail, noting 21-day Arctic heatwaves and glacier losses, and quoted scientists saying Europe is warming "twice as fast as the global average." Together the coverage is consistent: the technical agencies are saying record land and sea heat, increased fires, glacier and snow loss, and measurable Greenland ice-sheet melt are occurring and are linked to human-caused warming. Differences in emphasis appear in national detail (for example, France 24 and The Guardian cite regional temperature records and human stories; Al Jazeera and NYT stress the scientific consensus and scale). All sources are attributing the changes to the same datasets from Copernicus, ECMWF and WMO and are urging faster mitigation and adaptation.

Go deeper

• How will returning El Niño conditions affect European temperatures this summer?
• Which regions in Europe are most at risk of water shortages and wildfire this year?
• What specific adaptation steps are governments scaling up for heatwaves and glacier melt?

More on these topics

• World Meteorological Organization - Intergovernmental organization

  The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 193 Member States and Territories. The President of the World Meteorological Congress, its supreme body, is Gerhard Adrian as a successor of David Grimes. The

• El Niño

  El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific, including the area off the Pacific coast of South America.

• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts - Intergovernmental

  The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is an independent intergovernmental organisation supported by most of the nations of Europe and is based at Shinfield Park, Reading, United Kingdom, and Bologna, Italy, and Bonn, Germany.

• Europe - Region in Europe

  Central Europe is the region comprising the central part of Europe. Central Europe occupies continuous territories that are otherwise sometimes considered parts of Western Europe, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe.