According to the latest European State of the Climate report by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Europe experienced unprecedented heatwaves and extreme thermal stress in 2023.

2023 marked the second warmest year on record for Europe, at 1 °C above average, and 2.6°C above the pre-industrial level. As shown in Figure 1, the overall tendency is still strongly upwards.

In most parts of Europe, 2023 ranked among the top 10 warmest years on record. Southeastern Europe, along with parts of western and central Europe, experienced their warmest year on record. The Scandinavian countries had relatively mild temperatures (see Figure 2).

Across Europe, temperatures remained above average for 11 months, with September setting a new record as the warmest on record.

Throughout Europe, the number of days with heat stress is rising, while days with cold stress are becoming less frequent. In 2023, the continent recorded the highest-ever number of days with “extreme heat stress,” reflecting “feels like” temperatures over 46°C.

During summer, the extent of heat stress reached unprecedented levels, with 13% of Europe — and 41% of southern Europe — experiencing “strong,” “very strong,” or “extreme heat stress” on July 23.

Further information can be found here: https://climate.copernicus.eu/esotc/2023