The record-shattering June heat that’s baked Europe this week would have been “virtually impossible” just a few decades ago, according to a new analysis, which says the human-driven climate crisis is “unequivocally to blame.”The ongoing heat wave is the region’s “most severe ever recorded,” according to the study published Friday by World Weather Attribution, a scientific network which analyzes the role of climate change in driving extreme weather events.Huge parts Europe have been suffocating under a stubborn heat dome parked over the continent, trapping hot air and leading to extreme and dangerous heat and humidity. Heat domes are not unusual, but the temperatures in this one have been.AdvertisementAdvertisementRecords have fallen like dominoes: France experienced its hottest day on record Wednesday, beating a record set only the day before. The UK posted its highest June temperature ever recorded Wednesday, then smashed it again Thursday. Spain endured its two hottest June days on record Monday and Tuesday. Switzerland posted its hottest recorded June temperature on Thursday. The list goes on.Commuters wait on a Paris Metro platform during hot weather on June 24, 2026 in Paris, France. – Annice Lyn/Getty ImagesTo calculate the role climate change played in these extremes, WWA scientists used real-world and forecast data to analyze the three hottest days and nights of this heat wave across a huge section of Europe, comparing the likelihood of similar extremes during past major heat wave years of 1976 and 2003, when the Earth was cooler.They found both the daytime highs and nighttime temperatures during this period would have been “virtually impossible” 50 years ago, in 1976, when some of the previous European heat records were set.The world has warmed by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) over the past 50 years, which has increased the chances of extreme heat immensely, the scientists said.AdvertisementAdvertisementA similar heat wave occurring in June 1976 would have been a startling 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit cooler (3.5 degrees Celsius), according to the study, which has not been peer-reviewed but used peer-reviewed methods.The scientists looked at nighttime temperatures, too, which have also been record-breaking: France endured its hottest night ever recorded Wednesday into Thursday. Heat at night is particularly dangerous because it allows the body no time to recover.Europe’s sweltering nighttime …
