June 2025, a record-breaking month of heat on three continents

June 2025 was marked by record-breaking heat waves in many regions of the globe, showing once again how severe and rapidly the effects of global warming are intensifying. According to an analysis by AFP based on data from the European Union's Copernicus program, 12 countries recorded their hottest June on record, while another 26 countries had their second-warmest June since records began. In total, about 790 million people in Europe, Asia and Africa were directly affected by unprecedented temperatures for this time of year.

• Europe: early heat waves

At the end of June, southern and western Europe faced an early and intense heat wave. 15 European countries, including Switzerland, Italy and the Balkan states, recorded temperatures 3°C above the seasonal average. In Spain, Bosnia and Montenegro, June 2025 officially became the hottest June on record. In Seville, the traditional televised experiment of frying an egg in a frying pan in the sun was successfully repeated, ironically symbolizing the severity of the heatwave.

• Asia-Pacific: Record temperatures on land and in the sea

Japan recorded its warmest June in 127 years, with coastal water temperatures 1.2°C above normal, equaling the record set in 2024. This new heat wave comes after the country's warmest summer and warmest autumn on record. Similarly, South Korea and North Korea had their warmest June, with deviations of almost 2°C above normal. In China, more than 100 weather stations recorded new absolute highs for June, with some exceeding 40°C.

• Central Asia: Record Spring, Followed by a Hot June

In Pakistan and Tajikistan, heat waves in June broke historical records. The high temperatures are part of an abnormally warm spring recorded across Central Asia. Countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan recorded their hottest spring on record between April and June 2025. In some arid regions, temperatures rose above 50°C, 4°C above the 1981-2010 average.

• Equatorial Africa: June 2025 almost as hot as 2024

In Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, June 2025 equaled the 2024 heat record. In other countries in the Sahel and equatorial Africa, such as the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia, June was the second-hottest month on record. In South Sudan, temperatures were 2.1°C above normal, forcing the government to close schools due to health risks to children - an unprecedented measure in a country already severely affected by instability and poverty.

• UN: Climate threatens Africa's development

In a report published in May, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency, warned that heat waves in Africa have become major factors exacerbating hunger, insecurity, migration and socio-economic decline. "Extreme temperatures and climate change affect all aspects of Africa's development,” the WMO stressed, calling for urgent interventions and adaptation plans at the continental level.

• Is extreme heat becoming the new normal?

The increasing frequency of record-breaking temperatures and the wide geographical spread of heat waves confirm what climatologists have been warning about for years: the climate crisis is here and accelerating. Its effects are becoming global, simultaneous and interconnected, affecting not only the natural environment but also the economy, public health and social stability. If current trends continue, months like June 2025 will become the rule, not the exception. The response requires global political action, emission reductions and urgent adaptation measures, especially in the most vulnerable regions.