Europe recorded 10,000 excess deaths during late-June heatwave, data show

European nations registered more than 10,000 excess deaths during a severe heatwave in late June that scorched the western part of the continent, according to official data. The overwhelming majority, over 9,000 deaths, occurred among individuals aged 65 and older, highlighting the vulnerability of the elderly to extreme temperatures.

Extreme heat poses a significant threat, capable of inducing heatstroke and worsening pre-existing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Lasse Vestergaard, Chief Physician at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, which hosts the EuroMOMO network, described the excess mortality figures as "unusual" and "really high" for this time of year. He stated, "It is difficult to explain this high excess mortality by anything but the extreme heat."

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To have this kind of excess at this time of year is unusual. It’s really high.

Scientists have strongly linked the intensity and frequency of such heatwaves to human-induced climate change. The late-June event, which saw record-breaking temperatures across France, Spain, and Britain, would have been "virtually impossible" without the warming planet. The data, compiled from 27 European countries, encompasses excess deaths from all causes during the week of June 22 to 28, when the heatwave peaked.

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It is difficult to explain this high excess mortality by anything but the extreme heat.

Researchers noted that there were no other significant contributing factors, such as widespread COVID-19 outbreaks, to explain the spike to 10,650 excess deaths in that week. This figure stands in stark contrast to the preceding eight weeks, during which the same European countries experienced an average of about 500 deaths per week below typical levels. The EuroMOMO data may be subject to revisions as more information becomes available.

The heatwave disrupted essential services, leading to school closures and shattering temperature records. While EuroMOMO does not provide country-specific breakdowns, it identified France and Belgium as the only European countries to record "very high excess" mortality during the final week of June. Belgium, in particular, experienced its highest excess mortality during a heatwave since records began in 2000, according to its public health institute, Sciensano. Separately, a study estimated that 2,700 people died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the May and June heatwaves, with 42% of those deaths attributed to the additional heat caused by global warming.

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The late-June heatwave would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change, which is making heatwaves more frequent and intense.