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