Western Europe recorded its warmest September on record, matching the 2023 high, as unusually warm and dry summer conditions persisted into the month, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported on Oct. 12.
Temperatures in the region averaged 2.51 degrees Celsius above the 1991–2020 baseline, while Europe as a whole saw its third-warmest September. Widespread drought intensified across West, Central and parts of Eastern Europe, with river levels on the Rhine, Danube, Vistula and Garonne hitting historic lows for the month, disrupting shipping, water supplies and agriculture. Late-month rainfall brought localized relief but triggered flooding in France and Spain, Copernicus said .
Globally, September was the second-warmest on record, with average temperatures 1.63 degrees above pre-industrial levels—the second consecutive month exceeding the 1.5-degree threshold. Sea surface temperatures outside polar regions also set a September record. Copernicus linked the trend to a strengthening El Niño, which it expects to extend the warming streak into 2027 .
“Crossing the Paris Agreement’s long-term 1.5-degree limit is only a matter of time,” Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo said. “How far and how long we exceed it still depends on us” .
