February was the fifth warmest globally – heavy rainfall mainly in Western Europe

February 2026 ranks among the five warmest months worldwide since records began. According to the European climate service Copernicus, the global average temperature was 13.26 degrees, around 0.5 degrees above the average for the years 1991 to 2020.

In Europe, however, February was almost exactly on par with the climate average: the average temperature was only about 0.1 degrees below the long-term average. While it was rather mild in western and southern Europe, it remained significantly colder in the north and north-east.

Many low-pressure systems brought heavy rainfall to Western Europe and North Africa. France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco were particularly affected by severe flooding, which caused fatalities and extensive damage.

The oceans were also warmer than average in February. The average sea surface temperature was around 20.9 degrees Celsius. This is the second highest value for this month. At the same time, Arctic sea ice reached its third lowest February extent since measurements began.