Global oceans feel heat of El Nino, EU monitor finds

BRUSSELS — Global ocean surface temperatures reached a record high for July as developing El Nino conditions helped drive exceptionally warm waters across the tropical Pacific, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, or C3S, said on Monday.

The average sea surface temperature across the extra-polar oceans, between 60 degrees south and 60 degrees north latitude, reached 20.96 C last month, beating the previous July record of 20.89 C set in 2023, the C3S said.

Sea temperatures were exceptionally high across a large part of the tropical Pacific, where El Nino conditions are present and forecast to strengthen in the coming months.

Waters around Europe were also unusually warm, with record July sea surface temperatures along the Atlantic and western Mediterranean, where widespread strong or severe marine heat waves developed, the C3S said.

Globally, July was the joint-second-warmest on record, tied with 2024 and behind 2023. The average surface air temperature was 16.90 C, or 1.47 C above the estimated preindustrial average for the 1850-1900 period.

Western Europe, meanwhile, experienced its hottest June-July period on record after enduring a succession of heat waves since May, according to the C3S.

The region's average temperature over the two months was 21.62 C, 2.79 degrees above the 1991-2020 average and above the previous record set in 2022.

"July 2026 was the third consecutive month of exceptional heat in western Europe," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over the region, while dry soils reduced natural cooling, allowing temperatures to rise further, she said.

Dry conditions in May and June also persisted and intensified across much of western and central Europe in July. France, Spain, parts of Germany and Britain reported exceptionally low rainfall or soil moisture.

River flows fell well below average across much of the dry regions, with the Seine, Rhine and Danube particularly affected, putting pressure on water supplies, irrigation, river transport, ecosystems and energy production.

The combination of persistent heat and drought also contributed to exceptional wildfire activity across western Europe in terms of both burned area and emissions, C3S said.

"Climate change is increasingly bringing the kinds of hot and dry conditions that favor large, high-intensity wildfires in southern Europe while extending the fire season northward," said Laurence Rouil, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

Larger fires can send smoke higher into the atmosphere, allowing it to travel farther and affect air quality thousands of kilometers away, Rouil said.

A fast-moving wildfire was raging in southern France on Sunday, forcing evacuations as more than 200 firefighters raced to contain the blaze. The fire broke out around 12:45 pm in the Lozere region, about 140 kilometers northwest of Montpellier.

Officials said it might have been sparked by a vehicle catching fire on a local road.

By late afternoon, the fire had burned some 153 hectares and was still spreading.

Around 270 firefighters from Lozere and neighboring departments were deployed, backed by four Canadair water bombers and two Dash aircraft. A Lozere fire service spokesman said their combined efforts had helped "contain the blaze and save two homes" that were directly threatened.

"The flanks are being held. Work is now focused on the head of the fire, which remains inaccessible," he added.

At the same time, Spain's largest wildfire in recent history scorched almost 44,000 hectares in Avila Province, near Madrid.

The wildfire has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and sparked a national emergency.

The El Nino climate pattern has also amplified unprecedented temperatures across Central America and northern South America.

From Mexico to northern Brazil, stretching from the Pacific coast to the Guiana Highlands, approximately 110 million people experienced their hottest July on record.

El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras, located in the so-called "Dry Corridor", all set monthly temperature records in both June and July, heightening concerns over famine.

The United Nations World Food Programme said last week that Central America is expected to be the region hardest hit in terms of the relative increase in food insecurity.

Including the Caribbean, the agency estimates that an additional 16 million people could face food insecurity by the end of 2027.

XINHUA-AGENCIES