According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), May 2026 was the second warmest May on record globally. The announcement was made on Wednesday, highlighting exceptional ocean and land temperatures along with an unusually early heat wave in western Europe.
Global Temperature Records
The global average surface air temperature for May reached 15.81°C (60.45°F), which is 0.55°C above the 1991–2020 average. This figure is only lower than May 2024, making it the second highest on record. Sea surface temperatures remained near record highs, with the tropical Pacific showing strong warming as conditions trend toward a developing El Nino event.
Europe's Early Heat Wave
Europe experienced a rapid shift from cooler-than-average conditions to extreme heat in the second half of May. Western Europe, including France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Portugal, witnessed one of the most intense early-season heat waves on record. Numerous temperature records for May were broken, with "feels-like" temperatures reaching between 35°C and 40°C in several regions, creating severe heat-stress conditions.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at ECMWF, commented: "In Europe, an unusually early and intense heat wave demonstrates how quickly climate extremes are becoming the new normal rather than the exception."
Precipitation Patterns
While parts of western and southern Europe, including Spain and Italy, experienced drier-than-average conditions, flooding affected Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Moldova. Northern Europe and parts of Scandinavia recorded wetter-than-average conditions, contrasting with widespread dryness across central and eastern Europe. River flows fell below average in major basins, including the Danube and Vistula.
Outside Europe, wetter-than-average conditions were observed in northern and southeastern North America, parts of Asia, western China, Brazil, southern Africa, and Australia. In contrast, drier-than-average conditions affected the central United States, much of South America, Madagascar, and southwestern Australia.
Sea Ice Extent
Arctic sea ice extent in May was about 4% below average, ranking fourth lowest on record for the month. In the Antarctic, sea ice was around 9% below average, the seventh lowest for May, with particularly low coverage in the Bellingshausen Sea.
