Mediterranean Sea Cooking: Water Temperatures In Upper 80s, Up To 7F Above Averages In West

On a gradient map showing ocean temperature anomalies, the Mediterranean is a deep, blazing red. In certain parts of the sea, particularly the western basin around Spain, France and Italy, temperatures are more than 7 degrees Celsius (12.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average. “For large water bodies that’s ludicrous,” Jeff Berardelli, a U.S. meteorologist, said on social media.

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The Mediterranean — semi-enclosed and in one of the world’s fastest-warming regions — has become particularly prone to heat waves. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has described the Mediterranean as a “hotspot” for global climate risks. A 2023 study said that Mediterranean marine heat waves have grown in intensity, duration and frequency, “especially in the last decade.”

The Mediterranean typically hits its warmest point deep in the summer, around Aug. 18, topping out on average at 26.1 Celsius (79 Fahrenheit). Its all-time warmest temperature came last year, on Aug. 13, hitting 28.5 (83 Fahrenheit). But last year, in early July, the Mediterranean was 24 Celsius (75.2 Fahrenheit) — 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) cooler than it is now.

A buoy near the island of Mallorca, Spain, reported a water temperature of 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit) this week, while water offshore of Venice and Sanremo, Italy, was around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), according to satellite estimates.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/07/04/record-marine-heat-wave-mediterranean-sea/