Hottest March on record in Europe as extreme weather events become common

Europe has recorded its hottest March since records began amid a streak of extraordinary global heat as the EU weighs up how far and fast to cut emissions by 2040.

- STUTI MISHRA CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT

New data released on Monday by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C35) shows last month was not only Europe’s warmest March on record, but also the second-warmest March globally, behind only March 2024.

On average, global temperatures in March were 1.6C higher than pre-industrial levels, continuing a troubling pattern of breaching 1.5C. Twenty of the last 21 months have crossed the 1.5C threshold, which scientists warn increases the risks of extreme weather and irreversible climate damage. Last year was the hottest year on record worldwide, and 2025 is on track to continue that trend.

The main driver of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, C3S said, reflecting the global scientific consensus. Without significant cuts to emissions, temperatures are expected to keep rising.

Samantha Burgess, strategic lead at the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts, which runs C3S, said March also brought weather extremes across Europe, with “many areas experiencing their driest March on record and others their wettest March on record for at least the past 47 years”.