Dangerously high air temperatures, drought, heatwaves and record ocean temperatures are affecting regions across the European Continent from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. The United Kingdom, along with Europe and many other regions of the globe, is exposed to increasing impacts – from record heatwaves on land and at sea, to devastating wildfires, and continuing biodiversity loss – with consequences for societies and ecosystems across Europe.

The findings are released today within the European State of the Climate (ESOTC) 2025 report, produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which implements the Copernicus Climate Change Service, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The report brings together the work of around 100 scientific contributors and provides a comprehensive overview of key changes in climate indicators for the world’s fastest warming continent, including cold environments, marine ecosystems, rivers and lakes, wildfire risk, and more.

Above Average Winter temperatures

At least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025, while the area of Europe experiencing winter days with freezing temperatures is shrinking. Europe as a whole saw a record low number of cold stress days, with 90% of the continent experiencing fewer days than average with at least ‘strong’ cold stress. The increase of winter temperatures was reflected elsewhere, where minimum temperatures remained above average for most of the year throughout Europe.

 

Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at ECMWF: “The ESOTC 2025 paints a stark picture: the pace of climate change demands more urgent action. With rising temperatures, and widespread wildfires and drought, the evidence is unequivocal; climate change is not a future threat, it is our present reality. In confronting the impact on biodiversity loss, we need to match the speed of adaptation happening in the clean energy transition and at the same time, ensure robust science continues to underpin our policies and decisions.”

 

Record marine heat and ocean warming

The global ocean has absorbed about 90% of the excess heat caused by human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. In 2025, the European ocean region experienced its highest annual sea surface temperature on record, marking the fourth consecutive year of record warmth. This long-term trend negatively affects biodiversity, species, and habitats. Marine heatwaves can also coincide with heatwaves over land – contributing to more extreme temperatures and humidity, including overnight, which can slow people’s recovery from heat stress and disrupt sleep. In 2025 the annual average sea surface temperature was the second highest ever observed, with some of the most extreme fluctuations in temperature taking place off the West Coast of the island of Ireland.

Above average temperatures increasing incidences of drought and wildfires

Across Europe, around 70% of rivers experienced below-average flows, while it was one of the three driest years for soil moisture since 1992. In May, around half of Europe (53%) was affected by drought conditions. Much of Europe also experienced more days than average with at least ‘strong’ heat stress. Hot and dry conditions contributed to record wildfire activity across Europe. In total, a record area of around 1,034,000 hectares burnt across Europe – an area larger than Cyprus – with wildfire emissions reaching their highest levels on record. Alongside Spain, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany recorded their highest wildfire emissions on record. Wildfires also pose a significant risk to biodiversity and peatland wildfires can release large stores of carbon, further amplifying climate change.

 

Adapting to a changing climate in Northern Ireland

Across the world people, communities and environments are experiencing the impacts of a changing climate, and Northern Ireland is no different. In March 2026, Northern Ireland’s third Climate Change Adaptation Plan (NICCAP3) was launched, with over 280 actions included from a range of stakeholders for building climate change resilience.

The cross-sectoral NICCAP3 contains a range of climate actions, covering areas within natural capital. infrastructure and business sectors as well as many others.

Climate NI worked with DAERA to gather input to NICCAP3 from organisations across local government, civil society, academia, NGOs and the private business sector. The inclusion of these actions alongside actions from government departments shows the important work and contributions to climate adaptation that all sectors make to building climate resilience across Northern Ireland.

To learn more about NICCAP3 and Northern Ireland’s actions to adapt to a changing climate you can visit the DAERA website.