Overview
- Meteo‑France confirmed that July 2026 was the hottest July on record for France and that rainfall was nearly 70% below average, leaving soils extremely dry and increasing wildfire risk.
- Greek authorities continue to battle large blazes on the outskirts of Athens that have burned more than 13,000 hectares and killed five firefighters, with more than 30 aircraft and hundreds of crews deployed to contain hotspots.
- Met Éireann reported that July 2026 was Ireland’s second hottest July and its driest on record, with a national mean temperature of 17.25°C and heatwaves lasting up to 13 days at some stations.
- Low flows on the Danube have fallen to record levels, prompting warnings from Hungary and Romania that hydropower generation and other energy infrastructure face operational risks as drought persists.
- The World Meteorological Organization and national services attribute the extremes mainly to long‑term human warming with El Niño amplifying ocean warmth, and they warn that governments must address gaps in water management, energy planning and firefighting capacity.