Record-breaking heatwave takes its toll on Europe

An extraordinary heatwave in Europe has shattered numerous temperature records and taken its toll on human health, ecosystems, agriculture, infrastructure and labour productivity. It has been accompanied by local violent storms, drought and wildfires. According to the latest official figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 1,300 excess deaths were linked to the June 2026 heatwave. Heatwaves are rapidly intensifying drought conditions and water shortages.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is working on early warnings and coordinated heat-health action plans to help save lives and inform decision-making on how to minimise economic damage and disruption. “Extreme heat is expected to occur with increasing frequency, intensity and duration, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Europe is the world’s most rapidly warming continent”, states the WMO on its website.   

Climate change

“Heatwaves like this are what we expect to see in a changing climate,” said John Kennedy, head of climate information at WMO. “In the 50 years since the historic heatwave in 1976, Europe as a whole has warmed by around two degrees. It’s the fastest warming continent and extremes of temperature have increased too,” he said.

Wildfires in Southern Europe

The recent heatwave has fuelled severe wildfires across France, Spain and Portugal. In Catalonia, Spain, firefighters battled fires that burned more than 2,000 hectares, while residents and tourists were forced to evacuate. In southern France, hundreds of firefighters were deployed as wildfires spread during the heatwave, with thousands of people evacuated from affected areas in the Pyrenees region. French newspaper Le Monde reported that the fires came as France faced another period of extreme heat and elevated wildfire risk. In Portugal, a wildfire  has devastated some 13,000 hectares of forest and scrubland in the north of the country.

Record-breaking temperatures

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the June heatwave brought record-breaking temperatures across large parts of Europe. Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland all reported new national or monthly temperature records. Temperatures exceeded 40°C in several countries, including Germany (41.7°C), Hungary (40.7°C) and Austria (40.0°C), while unprecedented extreme heat warnings were issued in countries including the UK and the Netherlands. The heatwave also broke long-standing records, with Denmark recording its highest temperature since measurements began and Switzerland setting a new June record of 39°C in Basel.

Global Heat Information Network

Extreme heat is often called the ‘silent killer’, and in many countries, it is underreported. There were approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths annually between 2000 and 2019, according to modelled estimates. Through the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN), WMO and other UN partners are leading efforts to strengthen governance of extreme heat by providing national authorities and local governments with the technical guidance and concrete tools needed to prepare for and respond to this growing risk. 

Overheated and underprepared

According to a Europe-wide survey, published in February 2026, citizens are very concerned about extreme heat and wildfires. The survey found that many citizens are also underprepared to deal with the increasing frequency and magnitude of heatwaves, flooding and water shortages in their own homes. The results of this survey were analysed in the report ‘Overheated and underprepared’ which was published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound).