Extreme phenomena are becoming “the norm”, warns the European climate observatory Copernicus which underlines, in a report published Wednesday June 10, that the month of May ranks second after the heat record of May 2024. “In Europe, an unusually early and intense heat wave shows how quickly extreme climatic phenomena are becoming the norm rather than the exception,” said Samantha Burgess, Copernicus climatologist, quoted in a press release.
The month of May set many new monthly records on the continent, and generated “particularly difficult” situations in France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal, Copernicus recalls.
“Although remarkable, this phenomenon is part of the rapid warming of Europe and the long-term trend towards more frequent, more intense heat waves occurring earlier in the season,” explains the European institute in its monthly report on the global climate.
On a global scale, however, May 2026 remains behind May 2024 in terms of temperatures. Land and sea combined, the average temperature was 15.81°C, 1.42°C above the values estimated for the pre-industrial period (1850-1900), before the massive combustion of coal, oil and gas lastingly warmed the climate, this report shows.
The climate has been put under pressure by “exceptionally high” water temperatures in the tropical Pacific, as the equatorial Pacific “continues its transition to El Niño conditions, expected in the coming months”, says Copernicus.
El Niño is one of the phases of a natural cycle in the Pacific Ocean, which occurs in certain years and usually starts in spring, gradually affecting temperatures, winds and climate in the rest of the globe in the following months. For some regions, this results in droughts, such as in Indonesia. Others, like Peru, will have to prepare for torrential rains.
The last episode is from 2023/2024. Its occurrence is 80% likely between June and August, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned in early June.
