A week of stifling heat in Europe this June was unusually deadly, mortality data shows, producing a historic spike in deaths in a continent where major heat waves are becoming more common.
Around 16,000 more people than usual died in Europe during the heat wave, according to an ***ysis by the European Mortality Monitoring Network. Most of the deaths were in northern countries — France, Belgium and Germany — that are not accustomed to such high temperatures and struggled to respond.
In late June, temperatures topped 100 degrees across much of the continent, including in Spain and Italy. But it was only in northwest Europe, where countries were less prepared for the heat, that deaths spiked so abruptly.
2026 daily maximum Cooler than normal Hotter than normal Among hottest 5% of days 1991–2020 average
Countries in southern Europe have experienced extreme heat for centuries, and they have ways of coping with it that their northern neighbors do not. And the use of air-conditioning remains low in much of northern Europe, where it has become a political issue.
Deaths caused by extreme temperatures are difficult to measure directly, so researchers look at excess deaths, the number of deaths from any cause above what would be expected at that time of year based on historic trends.
Usually, spikes of excess deaths are recorded in the winter, when respiratory viruses circulate. But during the week of the June heat wave, there were more excess deaths than in any week last winter.
Major deadly heat waves are rare in recent European history. One hit the continent in 2003, killing tens of thousands. During another, in 2022, just over 16,000 more people than usual died in a single week in July, according to European Mortality Monitoring Network data, when it was the southern part of the continent that experienced the most extreme temperatures, with Spain reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
June ended up being Western Europe’s hottest on record, and scientists warned that climate change may mean worse to come. The surge of deaths in countries built for a cooler climate pointed to the cost of not being ready for rising temperatures.
Methodology
Excess death data comes from the European Mortality Monitoring Network and covers 23 countries, including 19 European Union members, Switzerland, Norway, Israel and the United Kingdom. Recent data is often revised as countries submit new data to the network.
The temperature anomalies shown in the map compare the average daily high temperature to the average high for that week between 1991–2020.
The city temperature charts use daily maximum observations from weather stations. The hottest five percent threshold for each date is calculated from 1991–2020 readings within 7 days before or after that day of the year. For example, a temperature on June 14 is compared to the temperatures recorded between June 7 and June 21 in the baseline period.