Tornadoes, floods, extreme heat waves, droughts, hailstorms. For our entire lives we have been accustomed to thinking of extreme weather events as unusual, rare, surprising. By now, however, they have become the "new normal". And this is not merely a matter of each person's direct experience, but of scientific evidence.

In May, numerous monthly records broken across Europe for heat, extreme events increasingly frequent

Confirming that extreme phenomena have now become our new everyday reality is the European climate monitoring service Copernicus, which in a report published on Wednesday 10 June also highlights how the month of May just passed was globally the second hottest on record (that is, since temperatures have been monitored on a regular basis).

clima europa caldo eventi estremi — Daily mean surface air temperature anomalies for (left) 11–19 May 2026 and (right) 21–30 May 2026 relative to the corresponding average for the period 1991–2020 © C3S/Ecmwf

Not by coincidence, numerous monthly records were registered in various European countries: from France to the United Kingdom, from Ireland to Portugal. "May 2026 was the second warmest May on record globally, extending the exceptional global heat streak, with near-record temperatures in both the atmosphere and the ocean. In Europe, an unusually early and intense heatwave demonstrates how rapidly extreme climate events are becoming the new normal rather than the exception," stressed Samantha Burgess, climate scientist.

Copernicus: "Early heatwave, little time for people and crops to acclimatise"

In the report, Copernicus further specifies that "although particularly significant, this phenomenon fits within the context of the rapid climate warming that Europe is experiencing and the long-term trend towards heatwaves that are more frequent, more intense and that occur earlier in the season." In particular, the second half of May brought "perceived temperatures reaching 35–40 degrees Celsius across much of the region, corresponding to conditions of 'strong' (above 32 degrees) and 'very strong' (above 38 degrees) heat stress. The rapid transition likely increased the impact on populations, leaving little time for people, or for crops and ecosystems during the growing season, to acclimatise."

But the fact that the Old Continent's climate is increasingly disrupted is borne out by other factors too: "A contrast between dry and wet conditions was also observed," the report continues. "During the month, large parts of western, central and eastern Europe — including Italy and Spain — recorded drier-than-average conditions. Conversely, widespread flooding occurred in Turkey, Bulgaria and Moldova, while some areas of north-western continental Europe, northern Scandinavia, Finland, Turkey and the Black Sea region were wetter than average."

L'ondata di caldo estremo in Europa occidentale di maggio 2026 — The extreme heatwave in western Europe in May 2026 © C3S/Ecmwf

Also in Europe, Copernicus reveals that the period from March to May was the third warmest spring on record. With some regions — such as Italy and southern Spain — recording "drier-than-average conditions, partly favoured by persistent high-pressure conditions."

In May, global average temperature at +1.42 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels

The document further specifies that, globally, the average temperature in May was 15.81 degrees Celsius, or 0.55 degrees above the 1991–2020 average. And 1.42 degrees above the pre-industrial period: that is, before humanity began burning coal, oil and gas on a massive scale to power its industries.

In the Arctic region, in particular, "the average sea ice extent in May was about 4 per cent below average, ranking fourth lowest for the month," with peaks in the northern Barents Sea and around Svalbard. Likewise, in Antarctica, the extent was about 9 per cent below the May average, ranking seventh lowest on record for the month, in line with data observed over the past two years."

Extreme events in Europe are already 'the new normal', according to Copernicus