According to an AFP analysis of data from the European monitor Copernicus, the month of June 2025 was the hottest ever recorded in 12 countries, stretching from Pakistan to Spain and Nigeria to Japan. An additional 26 countries experienced an exceptionally warm June, marking their second hottest on record. Approximately 790 million people across Europe, Asia, and Africa endured their hottest June to date.
Experts attribute the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves to global warming. Here’s a summary of the exceptional heat recorded in June:
Unprecedented Temperatures Across Continents
Central Asia: Hottest Spring on Record Temperatures in Pakistan (population 250 million) and Tajikistan (population 10 million) soared to record highs for June. These June records followed an exceptionally hot spring across Central Asia, with several countries including Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan experiencing their warmest spring (April-June) ever recorded. In Karachi, Pakistan, families sought respite from the scorching heat by bathing and playing in the ocean waves at Sea View beach.
Europe: 3°C Above the Norm An early summer heatwave engulfed western and southern Europe at the end of June, bringing sweltering conditions to regions unaccustomed to such temperatures, including the Paris region in France and parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. Around 15 countries, including Switzerland, Italy, and every Balkan state, saw temperatures rise three degrees Celsius above their June average for the period between 1981 and 2010. Spain, Bosnia, and Montenegro specifically recorded their hottest June to date.
Asia-Pacific: Record Heats on Land and at Sea Japan also experienced its hottest June on record since data collection began in 1898, with record temperatures logged in 14 cities during a heatwave. The temperature of its coastal waters was exceptionally high, at 1.2°C higher than usual, tying with June 2024 for the highest since data collection began in 1982. This follows Japan’s joint hottest summer in 2024 and its warmest autumn on record. Experts note that Japan’s beloved cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warmer climate, or sometimes not fully blossoming because autumns and winters are not cold enough to trigger flowering.
South Korea and North Korea also registered their warmest June since records began, with temperatures 2°C higher than their recorded average. In China, state media reported that 102 weather stations logged their hottest-ever June day, with some measuring temperatures above 40°C.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Almost as Hot as 2024 In Nigeria, the world’s sixth most populous country (230 million people), temperatures reached June 2024’s record-breaking levels. Other parts of central and eastern Africa also experienced exceptionally hot conditions. June was the second hottest month on record after 2024 in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia.
In South Sudan, temperatures surpassed the normal June average by 2.1°C, an exceptional deviation from the norm in a region where temperatures tend to be more stable. This impoverished nation, already plagued by insecurity, is ill-equipped to counter increasing environmental disasters. It had previously struggled with a devastating heatwave in March, typically the hottest month of the year, which led to students collapsing from the heat in the capital Juba, prompting the government to close schools and order citizens to remain at home. The UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned in May that “extreme weather and climate change impacts are hitting every single aspect of socio-economic development in Africa and exacerbating hunger, insecurity and displacement.”
