Western Europe sets new temperature record as heat waves pummel the region

BERLIN (AP) — The heat waves roiling Western Europe this summer toppled an average temperature record for the June-July period set in 2022, according to the European climate agency Copernicus.

The extreme heat began in May and has contributed to major wildfires, prolonged drought and new national temperature records across the region, as well as thousands of projected heat-related deaths.

Globally, so far this is the third-hottest year, behind 2024 and 2025, climate statistics show. But 2026 still has time to catch up. Thanks to the one-two punch of accelerated human-caused global warming and a supersized El Niño, a periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that leads to temperature variations around the globe, there’s an increasing chance that by the end of the year, 2026 could become the hottest year on record, beating out 2024 — or at least come close, scientists said.

Last month saw the highest average sea surface temperature ever recorded for July across the extra-polar oceans, or the oceans free of seasonal sea ice, Copernicus said.

That was partially fueled by developing El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific, the service said. The new average record for July is 20.96 degrees Celsius (69.73 degrees Fahrenheit), which beat the 2023 record of 20.89 C (69.60 F).

But last month’s average surface air temperature globally was 16.90°C (62.42 F), making it only the joint second warmest July on record and tied with July 2024, Copernicus reported.

In Western Europe, meanwhile, the average temperature record for the June-July period hit 21.62°C (70.92 F), Copernicus said.

“Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought. As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

"This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”

A firefighting helicopter releases water over a wildfire near Correns, southeastern France, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (Clement Mahoudeau/Pool Photo via AP)

A pharmacy display shows a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius in Paris during a heat wave, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard).

Vehicles cross the Rhine bridge on the A48 highway with a view of the low water levels on the Rhine, near Bendorf, Germany, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

A man walks on dried grass in a park, amid drought conditions in London, in London, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

People walk on a sandbar underneath the Danube's Margareth Bridge in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday Aug. 5, 2026, as the river, which runs through 10 European countries, has receded never-before-seen low water levels. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

PHOENIX (AP) — Hezly Rivera was, by her own admission, the “underdog” two years ago. Way back then, she was the youngest and by far the most anonymous member of the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team that stormed to gold in Paris.

Those days are over. Long over.

The wide-eyed newcomer is gone, replaced by a poised and professional 18-year-old who is embracing the idea of becoming the leader of the sport's next wave as the 2028 Olympics approach.

The proof was on display during the final day of the U.S. gymnastics championships, where Rivera shook off a fall on bars on the opening night to win her second straight national title.

Rivera's two-day total of 111.950 was more than a point clear of runner-up Claire Pease, making Rivera the first American woman not named Simone Biles to go back-to-back since former world and Olympic champion Jordyn Wieber did it in 2011 and 2012.

Rivera was a relative unknown in Paris two years ago, when she joined an experienced group that helped the Americans win their third team gold in four Games. While some of her Olympic teammates — Biles and Suni Lee chief among them — have been on an extended break (though Lee announced last month she has started training for a return to competition), Rivera has pressed on.

She edged Leanne Wong in New Orleans last year, but Rivera's chances for a repeat seemed to be in trouble after she fell face-first into the mat after missing a release on uneven bars on Thursday.

No matter, Rivera began Sunday on bars and put together a gritty set in which she fought through a mini-stall near the end and gave coach Valeri Liukin a “what are you gonna do?” shrug after a dismount that included a small step.

The judges awarded Rivera with a solid if not spectacular 13.850, and her momentum continued to build as she made her way across the competition floor at Matchup Mortgage Arena. Her black-and-white bedazzled leotard glittering under the lights, Rivera put on a performance that made her look every bit the experienced veteran she has become.

Pease and fellow first-day co-leader Skye Blakely couldn't quite keep up. Pease led with two rotations to go, but her floor routine included one tumbling pass that ended with her stepping out of bounds and another in which she opted to keep her right foot hovering above the floor rather than set it down for a penalty.

Still, Pease's second-place finish was a marked improvement from a year ago, when she came to nationals fresh off a victory at U.S. Classic and stumbled to 10th. This time around, she finds herself in a solid position to make the team that will head to The Netherlands for the world championships in October.

Blakely's bid to build off a promising opening night stalled quickly. She sat at the end of her first tumbling pass and bounced out of bounds on her final one, her score of 11.900 dropping her from contention for the top of the podium on her way to a seventh-place finish.

Charleigh Bullock, who turned 16 last month, was third. Reese Esponda, who trains at the Houston-area gym owned by Biles' family, was fourth.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey, who is methodically building difficulty into her routines as she eyes a third trip to the Games, finished fifth in a meet that doubled as a homecoming for the Phoenix native.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

Charleigh Bullock competes in the women's floor exercise during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Dulcy Caylor competes in the women's floor exercise during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Ally Damelio competes in the women's floor exercise during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)