A drone view shows people using kayaks and paddle boards in the River Thames at Teddington Lock, London’s first official river bathing water site, as temperatures climb over the bank holiday weekend due to a heat dome spreading across the region, in London, Britain, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo

BERLIN: May 2026 was the second-warmest May globally since records began, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Data compiled by the service showed that Europe experienced a rapid shift from below-average temperatures to one of the most intense early-season heatwaves ever recorded in western parts of the continent.

The heatwave led to numerous temperature records being broken in May, with France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal among the countries most affected.

Copernicus said the event was consistent with Europe’s long-term warming trend, characterised by more frequent, more intense and earlier heat extremes.
At the same time, Europe experienced sharp contrasts in precipitation. Much of western, central and eastern Europe, including Spain and Italy, recorded drier-than-average conditions, while parts of Türkiye, Bulgaria and Moldova were affected by severe flooding.

Globally, May 2026 continued a trend of near-record temperatures in both the atmosphere and oceans, according to Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates the Copernicus service.