An exceptionally early and intense heat wave that swept across Europe has resulted in a significant spike in mortality, with figures suggesting that well over 10,000 more people died at the height of the heat wave than would normally be expected. As data continues to emerge across the continent, the event is being viewed as an alarming start to the summer season. While Europe has faced several heat waves resulting in thousands of deaths in recent years, the year 2003 remains the deadliest on record, with approximately 70,000 heat-related deaths. Experts note that the frequency and intensity of these events are being supercharged by climate change, which is driven by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas.
The EuroMOMO mortality monitoring hub, which aggregates data from two dozen countries, provided an estimate of 14,260 excess deaths from all causes for the week ending June 28. Of that total, more than 12,000 of those deaths occurred among individuals aged 65 and older, out of 84,583 total deaths recorded that week. Figures for the weeks preceding and following this period were significantly lower. Lasse Vestergaard of Denmark's Statens Serum Institut, which coordinates the EuroMOMO network, stated that the organization attributes the surge to the heat wave affecting numerous European nations. Vestergaard noted that there is no other obvious explanation for such a high level of excess mortality at this time, characterizing the spike in a single week as highly unusual. While EuroMOMO does not provide absolute numbers for individual countries, it identified the highest rates of excess in France, Belgium, and Germany.
In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute, the country’s disease control center, directly attributed 6,830 deaths to the heat through early July, with 6,470 of those deaths occurring among people 65 and older. The German Weather Service reported that temperatures in late June reached their highest levels since records began, peaking at 41.7 degrees Celsius (107.06 Fahrenheit) on June 28. Meanwhile, in Belgium, the public health institute Sciensano reported 1,747 deaths above expected levels during the heat wave that spanned from June 18 to July 1. The institute noted that while some excess mortality is expected during heat waves, similar to cold weather or flu epidemics, the June 2026 heat wave was distinguished by its exceptional breadth. The IRM weather institute in Belgium recorded a peak temperature of 35.5 Celsius (95.9 Fahrenheit) on June 26.
France also experienced severe impacts, with public health authorities reporting at least 2,000 more deaths in the week of June 22-28 compared to the previous week, a period when temperatures were already rising. Meteo France recorded the country’s hottest-ever days on June 24 and 25, when the national thermal indicator—an average of daily temperatures from 30 weather stations—hit 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). More than 40% of France saw peak temperatures exceeding 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). In Spain, the Carlos III Health Institute, an official monitoring agency, attributed 937 deaths to excess heat in June. The country experienced its second-hottest June on record, with temperatures 3.2 Celsius (5.8 Fahrenheit) above the monthly normal average, according to the AEMET weather agency, which noted that temperatures regularly surpassed 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) during a five-day heat wave.
The Netherlands also reported an estimated 480 more deaths than expected during the June heat wave, according to the public health service. Increased mortality was particularly notable in the eastern and southern regions of the country, where temperatures were at their highest. The Dutch weather service registered a record-breaking June temperature of 36.8 degrees Celsius (98.24 Fahrenheit), which is more than a degree Celsius (1.8F) higher than the previous record set in 1947.
