May was world’s second-hottest on record, Copernicus reports

Copernicus Climate Change Service said Wednesday that May 2026 was the second-warmest May ever recorded, trailing only May 2024.moneycontrol
A heat dome from northern Africa pushed western European temperatures up to 15°C above seasonal norms, killing at least seven people in France.jamaicaobserver
Sea surface temperatures also hit near-record levels as forecasters warn an emerging El Niño could drive even more extreme heat ahead.jamaicaobserver

EU Scientists Report May Was World’s Second-Hottest on Record

The world experienced its second-hottest May since records began, with an unusually early and severe heatwave scorching Western Europe as climate extremes become the “new normal” on the continent, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported on Wednesday.

The global average surface air temperature last month reached 15.81°C, surpassed only by May 2024, according to the Copernicus monthly bulletin. Temperatures sat approximately 1.42°C above pre-industrial levels, keeping the planet close to the 1.5°C warming threshold set under the Paris climate agreement.moneycontrol

Europe’s Early Heatwave

“The month was marked by a rapid transition from much cooler-than-average conditions to one of the most intense heatwaves ever observed this early in the year in western Europe,” Copernicus said. A heat dome of warm air from northern Africa pushed temperatures 10 to 15 degrees Celsius above seasonal averages across much of the region, with “feels-like” temperatures reaching 35°C to 40°C.cnn

The United Kingdom recorded its hottest May day ever, with temperatures reaching 34.8°C at Kew Gardens in London, surpassing the previous record by two degrees. France also logged its hottest May day on record, and records fell in Ireland and Portugal. In France, at least seven deaths were directly or indirectly linked to the heat.jamaicaobserver

Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates Copernicus, called the episode evidence of “how quickly climate extremes are becoming the new normal rather than the exception”.jamaicaobserver

El Niño and Extreme Weather Ahead

Average sea surface temperatures in May were also the second-highest on record, with “exceptionally high” readings across the tropical Pacific as conditions shift toward El Niño. The World Meteorological Organization warned last week that El Niño has an 80 percent chance of developing between June and August, raising the risk of further extreme weather. Forecasts have cautioned that the coming El Niño could be one of the strongest on record, potentially pushing global temperatures to historic highs in 2027.earth

Beyond the European heat, May brought deadly flooding elsewhere. Heavy rains across southern and central China killed at least 21 people, according to Reuters, as widespread floods shut down schools, businesses, and transportation across multiple provinces. In Turkey, flash floods struck the Havza district of Samsun province on May 12, injuring 12 people and causing widespread damage.washingtonpost

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the world to treat El Niño “as the urgent climate warning it is,” adding that “impacts will hit even harder, travel even farther, and cross borders with devastating speed”.earth