July 2026 Sees Record-Breaking Heat Across 33 Countries

Regions home to approximately 900 million people experienced their hottest July on record in 2026, according to an analysis of Copernicus ERA5 climate model data reported by rfi.fr. Some 33 countries recorded their hottest July since records began across the Sahel, Central America, and Europe, with many areas seeing temperatures significantly above historical averages.

The Copernicus dataset utilizes a combination of satellite observations, land-based weather stations, and maritime and aerial data to provide hourly global coverage dating back to 1970. While some nations with well-funded agencies, such as France’s Meteo-France and Spain’s AEMET, independently confirmed the records, rfi.fr noted that many lower-income countries lack the infrastructure to publish detailed climate data.

Record Heat in the Sahel and Africa

Nearly 400 million of the affected residents live in Africa, primarily within the Sahel region. Ten countries in this area broke their July monthly heat records, including Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger in the west, as well as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan in the east, according to rfi.fr.

Data shows that Chad and Sudan recorded July temperatures more than 2C above the 1981-2010 average. This is notable because temperature variations near the equator are typically smaller than those found in temperate climates. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution network warned in January that human-driven climate change has made extreme heat episodes almost 10 times more likely since 2015, as reported by rfi.fr.

The report indicates that Sahel countries are among the most vulnerable to these rising temperatures while simultaneously facing widespread poverty, food insecurity, and armed conflict.

El Niño Impact on Central and South America

Approximately 110 million people from Mexico to northern Brazil experienced their hottest July on record. rfi.fr attributes these unprecedented temperatures to the naturally occurring El Niño climate pattern, which began in June and is expected to peak later in the year.

In the “Dry Corridor,” Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador set monthly temperature records for both June and July. These conditions have increased concerns over famine in the region.

The United Nations World Food Programme stated that Central America is expected to be the region hardest hit by the relative increase in food insecurity. Including the Caribbean, the agency estimates that 16 million additional people could face food insecurity by the end of 2027, according to rfi.fr.

European Heatwaves and Wildfires

Nearly 120 million Europeans lived in regions where July 2026 was the hottest ever recorded. The records were concentrated in northern and eastern Spain, western France, and southern Britain, according to rfi.fr.

Average temperatures in France were 3.8C above the 1991-2020 normal. This reference period is already warmer than the pre-industrial climate of 1850-1900. Both France and Spain reported record levels of drought, which contributed to devastating wildfires.

In late July, a megafire in France’s Gironde department forced the evacuation of more than 220,000 people and burned nearly 42,000 hectares. Similarly, Spain’s largest wildfire in recent history burned almost 44,000 hectares in the Avila province near Madrid, rfi.fr reported.

Other Affected Global Regions

Beyond the primary regions, over 250 million people in other scattered areas experienced unprecedented July heat. These regions include the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming, as well as China’s Sichuan province, according to rfi.fr.