The Heat-related Deaths Continue Rising as New Temperature Records are Set

Europe’s heatwaves comes as usual in May and June of 2026, just like the past years. It has caused thousands of deaths across the whole continent, especially in Spain, Italy and France. As the fastest warming continent in the world, Spain warned that this heatwave could cause a possible spike of heat-related deaths.

Globally, June 2026 was the second-warmest in the ERA5 dataset, with an average surface air temperature of 16.54°C, 0.56°C above the 1991-2020 average for the month, being only behind June 2024. As climate change is getting worse, heatwaves are getting more and more serious. “More than 1,300 excess deaths had been recorded since 21 June ‘linked to high temperatures in Europe’,” as suggested by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Chief of World Health Organisation (WHO).

He also indicated that heat stress is often called the “silent killer;” and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures. Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s Executive Vice President—who has chief responsibility for the European Green Deal and EU climate policy—said the heatwaves were a “dramatic warning” and that governments needed to listen to scientists and their own citizens rather than those with “vested interests” in fossil fuels.

Europe has been concerned about the heatwave problem as it is having an extremely high warming rate that is more than double the global average. In 2008, the first guidance was published; and in 2026, the second edition was updated with more specific actions aimed at decreasing heat-claimed lives lost.

The heatwave has disrupted almost every aspect of European life: from citizens’ daily lives to tourism, education and industry.

Citizens are becoming increasingly concerned with how individuals are adapting to the heatwaves. Among Americans, searches in Europe using the “air-conditioned” filter were about during the period of compared with searches for summer accommodations made three months earlier.

The heatwave shows that climate change is already affecting people’s lives. Governments may need to take action to protect citizens from extreme temperatures. As the world continues to become warmer, more countries may need to prepare for future heatwaves and reduce the risks they bring.