BRUSSELS — Europe saw one of its warmest years on record in 2025, scientists found in a report published Wednesday, as the world braces for a major El Niño event likely to send global temperatures soaring even higher.
Intense heat waves swept Europe on land and sea last year, as countries suffered record wildfires, significant glacier shrinkage and widespread drought, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and EU scientists said in their annual assessment of the continent’s climate.
The continent saw its hottest year on record, according to WMO data, which includes Greenland and the Caucasus as part of Europe. The EU’s Copernicus observation program, which excludes those territories, marked 2025 down as the second- or third-hottest year ever.
Depending on the data set used, up to 99 percent of Europe saw higher-than-normal temperatures last year, the report found. That marked “the first time that almost the entire continent saw above-average annual temperatures,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus’ climate change service.
