Paris (France) (AFP) – A record level of 52% of European territory was exposed to intense thermal stress during the exceptionally hot summer that hit the continent this year, the European Union's climate observatory reported this Friday.

First modification: 02/10/2026 - 13:32

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The waves began unusually early in the spring, breaking temperature records and causing tens of thousands of additional deaths.

Heat stress occurs when the body's natural cooling mechanisms are overwhelmed, causing symptoms ranging from dizziness and headaches to multiple organ failure or death.

"One of the highlights of 2026 is that the heat was characterized not only by its intensity, but also by its geographic extent," said Samantha Burgess, climate officer at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which manages the Copernicus program.

This summer was the hottest ever recorded in Western Europe, with four of the ten most intense heat waves ever known in Europe, especially in France, but also in the United Kingdom and Belgium, according to Copernicus.

However, the heat wave of August 2003 remains the most severe, a criterion that measures the combined duration and intensity, the observatory said.

Furthermore, in 2026 "there were 17 days recorded in which at least 60% of Western Europe experienced temperatures above 30°C, compared to 11 in 2003 and 7 in 2025."

This situation exposed 52% of Europe to "very strong" thermal stress, corresponding to a perceived temperature higher than 38°C, Copernicus said.

Approximately 80% of the continent suffered from "strong" thermal stress, meaning a perceived temperature above 32°C.

These conditions were observed for a record number of 41 days throughout the season, five more than in 2003, the year that saw a historic heat wave.

"The summer of 2026 demonstrated the extent to which heat stress is becoming increasingly widespread," Burgess added, highlighting that this is the leading cause of climate-related mortality in the world.

This summer was also characterized by drought conditions that caused the lowest river flows ever recorded since records began in 1992, according to Copernicus.

© 2026 AFP

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