London: Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record in 2026, while global temperatures ranked as the second-highest ever recorded for the month, according to a Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) statement on Thursday. According to Anadolu Agency, the EU's climate monitoring service reported that the intense heat was driven by persistent warming across land and oceans, with sea surface temperatures reaching their highest for any June in recorded data. The average global surface air temperature for June was recorded at 16.54 °C (61.7 °F). The service also highlighted that the average sea surface temperature in extra-polar oceans between 60 degrees south and 60 degrees north reached an unprecedented 20.86 °C. It was noted that exceptionally high ocean temperatures persisted across large parts of the tropical Pacific as El Nino conditions developed and were expected to intensify in the coming months. A severe heat wave impacted much of western and central Europe during the latter half of June, b reaking both monthly and all-time temperature records in several countries. Western Europe recorded an average temperature of 20.74 °C, marking the warmest June on record for the region. Across Europe, the average land temperature reached 19.14 °C, the second-highest June on record. The heat wave followed an earlier intense heat event in May and was succeeded by extreme heat in early July, underscoring the increasing frequency and intensity of heat extremes, according to C3S. "June 2026 underscored how profoundly the climate is changing," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Alongside extreme heat, much of western continental Europe experienced drier-than-average conditions in June. C3S noted that persistent high pressure and heat wave conditions contributed to drought risks in parts of eastern Europe and increased wildfire activity, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. Dry soils across western and central Europe, already affected by May's heat wave, further exacerbated drought conditions. In the Arctic, sea ice extent for June was approximately 5% below average, ranking as the sixth-lowest recorded for the month, with the largest declines observed in the northern Barents Sea, particularly around Svalbard and Franz Josef Land. In Antarctica, sea ice extent was around 8% below average, also ranking sixth-lowest for June.