A fresh wave of extreme heat is impacting millions across Europe, with forecasts indicating that more than 135 million people will face temperatures exceeding 35C. An analysis conducted by AFP, which utilizes population projections for 2025 from the Joint Research Centre and weather forecasts from the German meteorological service, Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), suggests that nearly 340 million European residents—roughly three out of five—will see temperatures surpass 30C. These findings align with data provided by the Austrian NGO Klimadashboard.
France is currently experiencing some of the most intense conditions, with Météo-France recording a high of 42.5C in central Chateaumeillant on Thursday. Paris reached 38C, and large portions of the country remain under a heatwave alert. Similarly, Italy is bracing for significant heat, with approximately 29 million people expected to be affected, particularly across the south, the Po Valley, the west coast, and the country's islands. In Spain, around 25 million people are sweltering under the high temperatures, with the Aemet weather agency documenting 37C in central regions on Thursday.
The United Kingdom has also faced severe conditions, with temperatures hitting 36C or higher in 40 different locations across southern and central England. The Met Office has noted that the UK is currently on track to record its hottest summer on record. Scientists have attributed these increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves to human-caused climate change, noting that such events have fueled a summer marked by wildfires and drought, contributing to thousands of deaths.
While the analysis provides a comprehensive look at the heat, David Jablonski of the NGO Klimadashboard noted that the model, which has a resolution of approximately 6.5 km, does not fully capture urban heat-island effects. Consequently, the organization states on its European Heat Tracker website that the current figures likely underestimate the number of people impacted in densely populated urban environments.
