Ag Weather Forum

Summer 2025 has been a scorcher in Europe. Temperatures of 48 degrees Celsius -- around 118 degrees Fahrenheit -- were recorded back in June in Portugal; and in late July, Turkey established a new all-time European temperature record with a reading of 50.5 deg C (122.9 deg F) noted by the Turkish State Meteorological Service. The European Union climate and weather agency, Copernicus, notes that Western Europe had its warmest June on record. The United Nations Global Perspective Report for July 2025 noted that heat waves hit Sweden and Finland with long spells of temperatures above 86 deg F, and in Norway, hazard warnings were posted due to reindeer going into roadway tunnels to find cooler conditions. Wildfires have broken out. The heat has also caused several thousand deaths so far.

Crop impact has been mixed. Hot and dry conditions favored wheat harvest. However, summer crops, especially corn, have not fared as well. France's Ag Ministry projected this year's corn crop to be 5.6% lower than a year ago because of dryness and heat. But that estimate was released prior to a heat wave in mid-August that torched crops across the continent. USDA's weekly weather and crop bulletin Tuesday, Aug. 19 had this summary of the heat wave and its impact:

"Daytime highs reached 41.2 C in northwestern Spain and topped 44 C at numerous locations across southern portions of the country. In southwestern France, temperatures exceeded 38 C on 10 consecutive days beginning Aug. 8, with a peak reading of 42.1 C notched on Aug. 12; in fact, daytime highs eclipsed 40 C on six of seven days starting on Aug. 11 in this part of the country. Likewise, peak values for the week reached the 30s (degrees C) nearly everywhere in Europe ... The heat further reduced the already poor summer crop prospects in southeastern Europe and rapidly lowered conditions for later-filling corn and sunflowers in Spain and southwestern France."

This description is notable, because France produces 21% of Europe's total corn crop and Romania, in southeast Europe, produces 13% of the total Europe corn crop, according to USDA.

The expected lower corn crop in Europe because of extreme heat shows not every world production area is expecting a bumper crop this year. And the heat stress on Europe's corn crop is set against the backdrop of overall heat across the world this summer. The July Global Climate Report from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information notes that July 2025 was the third-warmest July for global surface temperature, behind 2024 and 2023.

Bryce Anderson can be reached at bryce.anderson@dtn.com

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