European state of the climate 2025: record heatwaves from the Mediterranean to the Arctic, while glaciers shrink and snow cover declines

The European State of the Climate 2025 is a joint report by ECMWF (which runs the Copernicus Climate Change Service) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It draws on around 100 scientific contributors and provides a comprehensive overview of how climate change is affecting Europe — the world's fastest-warming continent — across temperatures, glaciers, oceans, rivers, wildfires, and biodiversity.

At least 95% of Europe experienced above-average temperatures in 2025. Sub-Arctic Fennoscandia endured its longest heatwave on record — three consecutive weeks with temperatures exceeding 30°C, peaking at 34.9°C in Frosta, Norway. Glaciers across all European regions suffered net mass loss, snow cover was 31% below average, and the Greenland Ice Sheet shed 139 billion tonnes of ice. Ocean temperatures hit their highest annual level on record for the fourth consecutive year, with 86% of European waters experiencing marine heatwaves. Wildfires burned over 1 million hectares — the largest area ever recorded. Meanwhile, 70% of rivers ran below average flow, and renewables reached 46.4% of Europe's electricity supply.