Europe overwhelmingly, at least 95%, experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025, with heat waves affecting large parts of the continent, from the Mediterranean to the Arctic. Rapid warming has resulted in a reduction in snow and ice cover, which play a critical role in slowing climate change.

This is the finding of the annual report on the state of Europe’s climate in 2025, prepared by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which implements the Copernicus Climate Change service, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Much of Europe experienced more days of severe heat stress than average, with southern and eastern Spain recording up to 50 more days than average with temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius. Minimum temperatures also remained above average for most of the year.

A record three-week heatwave hit subarctic Norway, Sweden and Finland, with temperatures near and within the Arctic Circle topping 30 degrees Celsius. In the Frost region of Norway the temperature reached 34.9 degrees Celsius! In July and early August, extreme heat also hit south-eastern Europe. In Greece, the report estimates that 85% of the population was affected by extreme temperatures near or above 40 degrees Celsius, with a maximum recorded temperature of 44 degrees.

The report finds that over the past 30 years Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average, making it the fastest warming continent on the planet, with Eastern and South-Eastern Europe warming faster than Western Europe and the Svalbard Islands in the European Arctic Ocean being one of the fastest warming regions on the planet.

Significant snow and ice loss

Above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation in 2025 led to significant snow and ice loss. In March 2025, the snow-covered area in Europe was about 1.32 million square kilometres below average (31%), an area equivalent to the total area of France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. This marked the third lowest area of snow since records began in 1983.

Also, glaciers in all European regions experienced mass loss, with Iceland having the second largest glacier loss ever recorded. Greenland also lost 139 billion tonnes of ice. This ice loss contributes to rising global sea levels, with every centimetre of rise exposing an additional six million people to coastal flooding.

The report demonstrates a continuing trend of rapid warming of Europe’s coldest regions, including the Arctic and the Alps, where snow and ice play a critical role in slowing climate change by reflecting sunlight back into space.

Danger to biodiversity

The annual sea surface temperature for the European region was the highest ever recorded, marking the fourth consecutive year of record warmth. This long-term trend is having a negative impact on biodiversity, species and the natural environment. Marine heat waves were widespread in 2025 affecting 86% of Europe’s ocean area. They were also more intense with 36% of the region experiencing severe or extreme conditions – the highest proportion on record.

The Mediterranean Sea has experienced at least one day of severe marine heatwave conditions each of the last three years. In 2025 the average annual sea surface temperature was the second highest ever observed. The report noted that numerous extreme events in 2025 affected biodiversity in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It cites as an example the Neptune grasslands in the Mediterranean which are at risk due to climate change. In the last 50 years their area has decreased by 34%, but based on high greenhouse gas emission scenarios it is predicted that their reduction could be as much as 75% by 2050.

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The area burned by wildfires reached a record high (wildfires burned about 1.035 million hectares), as did emissions from wildfires. Southeastern Europe experienced a particularly intense fire season, and the report cites the example of Greece, which saw one of the most severe fire outbreaks in recent years, with at least 50 fires reported in just 24 hours.

The storms and flooding affected thousands of people across Europe, although extreme rainfall and flooding was less widespread than in recent years.

River flows were below average for eleven months of the year across Europe, with 70% of rivers experiencing below average annual flows. As in 2024, south-eastern Europe recorded below-average lake water levels. Lake Prespa continued its long-term downward trend that began in the 1960s.

Finally, renewable energy provided almost half of Europe’s electricity in 2025, with solar power reaching a new record contribution of 12.5%.

The report’s findings were presented at a press conference attended by media from around the world, including RES-ME. Many of the journalists’ questions concerned the likelihood of the El Niño phenomenon occurring in 2026. The Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization, Celeste Saulo, replied that “El Niño is always a point of concern for many of us.” She explained that “sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean are rising rapidly making a return of El Niño conditions possible as early as May/July 2026. So we are heading towards possible El Nino conditions.” However, he added that so far “we have a level of predictability that is not that high. So we would like to wait until May to see if the phenomenon develops into a strong or weak El Nino.”