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Half of Europe faced very strong heat stress this summer, EU scientists say
Copernicus said climate change drove record heat stress, with 80% of Europe also facing strong heat stress for 41 days by season’s end.
- On Friday, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that 52 percent of Europe faced "very strong" levels of heat stress this summer, marking a record-high exposure to health risks.
- Western Europe experienced its hottest summer since records began, with heatwaves beginning unusually early in the spring; fuelled by climate change, the continent endured a relentless series of high-temperature events.
- Copernicus data shows around 80 percent of the continent experienced "strong" heat stress on a record 41 days, with Western Europe recording "very strong" heat stress on 13 days.
- Samantha Burgess, climate lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, noted the heat was "remarkable for its intensity" and "geographical extent," describing it as a defining characteristic of 2026.
- Extreme heat poses significant health risks like heat stroke, especially for outdoor workers and the elderly; Burgess noted the trend is becoming "more widespread and more persistent," contributing to global weather-related mortality.
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55 Articles
Record heat stress, extreme drought and the lowest river flows in more than three decades characterized Europe's summer of 2026, according to the latest summary from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS).
·Budapest, Hungary
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A record 52% of Europe's territory experienced intense thermal conditions during the summer of 2026, the EU Climate Observatory said on Friday 2 October.
·Paris, France
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This summer was the third warmest summer on record in Europe, and in the western part, the warmest on record, according to Copernicus data. By the end of the season, a record 52 percent of the continent was exposed to very severe heat stress.
·Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Total News Sources55
Leaning Left5Leaning Right6Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 23%
C 50%
R 27%
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