May 2026 was the second warmest May ever recorded globally, both on land and at sea. The average surface air temperature was 15.81 °C, 0.55 °C above the monthly average for the period 1991-2020.
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According to some reports of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), exceptionally high sea surface temperatures (SST) were recorded in the tropical Pacific in May, writes News.ro.
Temperatures are rising as the equatorial Pacific continues its transition to El Niño conditions, which are expected to develop in the coming months – a phenomenon that could generate extreme weather conditions globally.
“In Europe, the month was marked by a rapid transition from much cooler than average conditions to one of the most intense heatwaves ever seen so early. The heat wave has broken numerous temperature records for the month of May, with France, the UK, Ireland and Portugal recording particularly severe conditions.
Although remarkable, this event is consistent with the rapid warming of Europe and the long-term trend towards more frequent, more intense and earlier heat waves.”Copernicus shows.
While large regions of Europe, including Italy and Spain, were drier than normal, Turkey, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova faced widespread flooding.
According to the ECMWF, May 2026 was the second warmest May on record globally, and the early and intense heat wave in Europe shows that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent.
Thus, May 2026 was the second warmest month globally in the ERA5 dataset, with a mean surface air temperature of 15.81 °C, 0.55 °C above the 1991–2020 monthly average, second only to May 2024.
Last month was also 1.42°C above the estimated average for the pre-industrial period 1850-1900.
The mean sea surface temperature (SST) for the area 60°S-60°N in May 2026 was the second highest ever recorded for the month at 20.90 °C, after May 2024 (20.93 °C).
Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have remained at exceptionally high levels across much of the tropical Pacific as the equatorial Pacific continues its transition to El Niño conditions, which are expected to develop in the coming months.
In the second half of May 2026, Western Europe was hit by an unusually early and intense heat wave.
In some areas of France, England and Wales, temperatures exceeded the seasonal average by more than 10°C. The phenomenon led to several temperature records being set in Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, and temperatures frequently reached between 35°C and 40°C across much of Western Europe.
“These values corresponded to “strong” (above 32 °C) and “very strong” (above 38 °C) thermal stress conditions. The heat wave had a significant impact on health”, European specialists show.
The heat wave caused deaths in Europe
The heat wave of May 2026 had serious effects in Western Europe. Spain reported 101 heat-related deaths, a record for May, and France and the United Kingdom had seven and 11 deaths respectively.
Experts warn that the sudden shift from below average temperatures to extreme heat has amplified the impact on the population and ecosystems.
At the same time, high water temperatures around the UK, Ireland and Spain helped intensify the heatwave, with Spanish coastal waters reaching record levels.
Although remarkable for occurring so early in the year, this event is consistent with the rapid warming of Europe and the increasing frequency and intensity of heat waves already observed during the summer.
Europe is the fastest warming continent, with temperatures rising by around 0.56°C per decade since the mid-1990s, more than double the global average.
As Europe's climate continues to warm, heatwaves are expected to occur earlier and later in the year, beyond the summer period.
