Temperatures in Europe are getting warmer and more extreme. So are fluctuations. In April, the continent experienced large regional differences, with large parts of southwestern Europe measuring much warmer temperatures than normal. This is shown by the monthly report from the EU's climate monitoring Copernicus.
The report, which was released on Friday, also states that Spain had its warmest April ever, while Eastern Europe was colder than normal. According to Samantha Burgess, one of the researchers behind the report, April 2026 contributes to "the clear signal of continued global warming".
- Europe experienced sharp contrasts in temperature and precipitation; all characteristic of a climate that is increasingly shaped by extremes, she says in a press release.
According to climate professor at the University of Southern Denmark's Climate Cluster Sebastian Mernild, the report confirms a trend that has been seen for a long time. Europe is getting warmer and warmer - towards new records and major challenges.
- The climate has gradually become warmer and warmer since industrialization. This is reflected in both annual temperatures, extreme temperatures and monthly averages. So it is yet another picture that the early spring months are also moving up to a high temperature level, he says.
Therefore, it is "not surprising" for the climate professor that last month was the warmest April ever measured in Spain. According to Statistics Denmark, the southern European country tops the list of Danes' favorite holiday destinations.
In recent years, the Iberian Peninsula, where Spain and Portugal are located, has been hit by violent weather. At the end of January, five people lost their lives when storm Kristin hit Portugal.
And in October 2024, a natural disaster swept over the Spanish province of Valencia, when between 300 and 500 millimeters of rain fell in eight hours. Over 200 people lost their lives. Last summer, both Portugal and Spain struggled with heat waves and large forest fires.
According to Sebastian Mernild, there will be more and more examples of high temperatures. This applies especially to the countries around the Mediterranean. At the same time, the countries around the Mediterranean will also experience a decrease in precipitation.
- Temperature levels are expected to rise higher, in relation to how much greenhouse gas we emit into the atmosphere. And we will see more extreme temperatures. This can be felt particularly in southern Spain, which is already very, very hot.
According to the climate professor, it is "a huge challenge" if you already have problems with being able to withstand the temperature level.
- It puts additional pressure on people with poor health or people who are weak or sick, because the temperature has been above a certain level for a long time, he says.
Sebastian Mernild explains that there are several factors that cause Europe to warm up faster than other continents. This is due, among other things, to geography.
Firstly, Europe is very close to the Arctic, where the Arctic is currently warming four times as fast as the global average. Secondly, the Atlantic Current brings a lot of heat energy up along Europe's west coast, says the climate researcher.
- And then there is warm weather from North Africa, blowing across Southern Europe. There are three macro factors at play, he explains.
At the end of April, Copernicus determined in its annual report, European State of the Climate, that Europe is the continent in the world that is warming the fastest. The report showed that 95 percent of Europe's land area was warmer in 2025 than the average temperature from 1991 to 2020.
/ritzau/
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