Europe is facing one of the most severe heatwaves in recent memory, with more than 2,000 deaths recorded over the past week, according to an initial provisional estimate. Around half of these deaths have been reported in France, according to the country’s public health agency.
The agency has indicated that the heatwave is mainly affecting people over the age of 65, who account for approximately 85% of the cases. It has also reported a 40% increase in deaths occurring at home, reflecting the serious impact of prolonged extreme heat on vulnerable people, particularly those living alone or without adequate cooling.
France’s Ministry of Health has warned that the figures, which are based only on electronic death certificates, must be interpreted with caution. Officials stress that the final mortality figure is likely to be higher once more complete data becomes available.
The World Health Organization has also warned of the human cost of the episode. Its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that since 21 June, more than 1,300 additional deaths linked to high temperatures had been recorded in Europe. However, confirmed figures from several countries over the weekend have pushed the estimated death toll from the heatwave to around 2,000.
Germany records historic temperatures
Germany is among the countries experiencing exceptional heat. In the municipality of Kubschütz, temperatures during the early hours of Sunday remained at 29.4°C, marking an unprecedented overnight minimum.
A spokesperson for the German Weather Service said the country had never before recorded such a high minimum temperature during the night.
The day before, Germany had also recorded a historic maximum temperature, with 41.5°C measured in Drewitz, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. This surpassed the previous record set just a day earlier in Saarbrücken, where temperatures reached 41.3°C.
The extreme conditions have also disrupted transport. Train services were reduced on a line in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, while tram services were suspended in the eastern city of Leipzig due to the impact of the heat.
Heat spreads across central and eastern Europe
The suffocating heat has also affected Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, as the mass of hot air continues to move across the continent.
Austria has also experienced extreme temperatures. In Vienna, 40°C was recorded for the first time, just half a degree below the national record, which was set in 2013 in a town located around 50 kilometres east of the capital.
Roads and railway lines have suffered damage as a result of the heat, while several fires have also been reported. Denmark, meanwhile, recorded its highest temperature ever on Saturday, reaching 37°C.
Rivers, energy production and agriculture under pressure
The heatwave is also affecting Europe’s rivers. High temperatures have reduced water levels and warmed river waters, creating problems for electricity generation, agriculture and transport.
One of the most significant incidents involves the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary, which was considering reducing production due to the high temperature of the Danube.
In Italy, the flow of the Po River has dropped, allowing seawater to move up to 18 kilometres inland. This type of saltwater intrusion can create serious problems for agriculture, water quality and local ecosystems.
Heatwaves are becoming longer and more intense
Recent scientific studies based on the evolution of weather models point to longer summers and increasingly prolonged heatwaves. Experts warn that heatwave episodes lasting up to 40 days during the summer could become more common as the season itself grows longer.
This historic heatwave sweeping across Europe also highlights the wider economic consequences of global warming. Accelerating climate change is expected to alter tourism flows and could reduce European economies by as much as 7%, affecting household income and regional economic stability.
The climate crisis is also changing long-established habits across the continent. Working hours, mealtimes and daily routines are already being adapted in some places to cope with the rise in extreme temperatures.
In many parts of Europe, traditional architecture is also becoming a problem. Homes with carpets, without shutters and designed to capture light and retain warmth are poorly suited to increasingly intense summer heat.
According to a study published by World Weather Attribution, a European scientific network that analyses the role of climate change in extreme weather events, the current heatwave would have been “virtually impossible” just 50 years ago. The same study indicates that such an episode is now 200 times more likely than it was two decades ago.
The latest heatwave therefore represents not only a public health emergency, but also a warning about the growing risks linked to climate change, ageing populations, vulnerable infrastructure and the need to adapt European cities and homes to a hotter future.
