Europe Climate – May 2026 Update
Top 5 Countries: Russia, Germany, France, United Kingdom, and Italy
This month in numbers
Europe experienced a significantly warm May 2026, with a 1-month temperature anomaly of +1.13°C above the 1961–1990 average. The warming trend is even more pronounced over longer periods, with a 3-month anomaly of +1.70°C and a 12-month rolling anomaly of +1.61°C. Globally, May 2026 was the second-hottest May on record.
Hottest & coolest countries
Iceland stood out as exceptionally warm this month, recording an anomaly of +5.15°C climate page. Other countries experiencing unusually high temperatures included Ireland (+2.45°C) climate page and the United Kingdom (+2.32°C) climate page. In contrast, Romania was notably cooler, with a 1-month anomaly of -1.74°C climate page.
What's driving change?
May saw an unusually early and intense heatwave across Western Europe, with temperatures soaring 10 to 15 degrees Celsius above normal in some areas, driven by a persistent heat dome. This rapid transition from cooler conditions to extreme heat set numerous May temperature records in countries like France, the UK, Ireland, and Portugal. The Copernicus Climate Change Service highlighted that such early and intense heatwaves are quickly becoming the new normal. This aligns with the broader trend of , contributing to the observed anomalies. While the ENSO state is currently neutral with an anomaly of +0.48°C ENSO tracker, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, with an 82% chance for May-Jul and increasing to 98% by Aug-Oct. This developing El Niño could further contribute to global temperature increases. Additionally, much of western, central, and eastern Europe, including Spain and Italy, experienced drier-than-average conditions, while parts of Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Moldova faced severe flooding. Wildfires have also been a concern, with 88,945 hectares burnt in the EU since the start of the year, exceeding the long-term average.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts suggest that the developing El Niño is likely to push global temperatures to historic highs in 2027, increasing the risk of extreme weather events in the coming months.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Temperature – Average
The 4byo Climate Helix – Europe
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS).
Europe – Monthly Temperature – All Years
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS).
Records – Europe
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS).
Shifting Seasons
Warm / cold seasonsKöppen Dfb · ContinentalHow spring and autumn have shifted in Europe. Spring is defined as the date monthly temperatures first rise above the long-term annual mean (8.3°C, from 1941–1970); autumn is the date they fall back below it. Temperature swings 18.8°C peak-to-peak across the year - a classic four-seasons rhythm.
Baseline vs recent monthly temperature climatology. Biggest warming: Feb (+3.2°C).
4byo continent aggregate · OWID/CRU TS country monthly temperatures & rainfall. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Explore Countries on this Continent
This page shows the NOAA continental series. To browse country-level pages within Europe, use the countries tab on the Climate Updates hub and filter by continent.
Open Climate Updates → CountriesHottest & Coolest in Europe this Month
1-month anomaly vs 1961–1990 across the 23 members we cover. Click a name to open its profile.
Warmest
- 1.🇮🇸Iceland+5.15°C
- 2.🇮🇪Ireland+2.45°C
- 3.🇬🇧United Kingdom+2.32°C
- 4.🇨🇭Switzerland+2.05°C
- 5.🇪🇸Spain+1.93°C
Data Sources
- NOAA Climate at a Glance — continental land temperature · Open at NOAA
- Two-baseline model — comparison baseline 1961–1990; native baseline 1901-2000. Methodology →
Data Sources
Data Sources for Europe
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Europe changing?
Europe is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Europe come from?
Climate data for Europe comes from authoritative climate datasets including national meteorological services and peer-reviewed reanalyses, refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Europe climate data cover?
The Europe climate profile covers Russia, Germany, France, United Kingdom and surrounding areas. The fastest-warming continent in the NOAA record
How often is the Europe climate update refreshed?
The Europe climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.