May 2026 was the second-warmest May globally since records began, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Europe experienced a rapid shift from below-average temperatures to one of the most intense early-season heatwaves ever recorded in western parts of the continent, data compiled by the monitor showed.
The heatwave led to numerous new temperature records for May, with France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal among the worst affected.
Copernicus said the event was consistent with Europe's long-term warming trend, marked by more frequent, more intense and earlier heat extremes.
At the same time, the continent saw sharp contrasts in precipitation, with much of western, central and eastern Europe, including Spain and Italy, experiencing drier-than-average conditions, while parts of Turkey, Bulgaria and Moldova were hit by severe flooding.
Globally, May 2026 continued a trend of near-record temperatures in both the atmosphere and oceans, said Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates the Copernicus service.
The report also noted unusually high sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, with conditions moving towards an El Niño phase expected in the coming months, a pattern typically associated with more extreme global weather events.
Outside Europe, wetter-than-average conditions were recorded in parts of northern and south-eastern North America, regions of Asia north of the Indian subcontinent, western China, parts of Brazil, southern Africa and large parts of Australia.
Drier-than-average conditions were seen in the central United States, large parts of Central Asia, Madagascar, south-western Australia and much of South America.
