Heat, drought and excess deaths: Europe’s summer was exceptionally severe

Europe’s first major heatwave of the summer produced more deaths in one week than the continent’s previous summer record, according to an initial assessment by Die Presse.

EuroMOMO, the European mortality monitoring project based at the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, recorded 86,711 deaths across all age groups and monitored countries during calendar week 26, from June 22 to 28. The long-term average for that week is about 70,000 deaths.

The total surpassed the previous summer high recorded in 2022, the hottest year since European records began. That year, EuroMOMO registered 84,350 deaths during the week of July 18 to 24.

The increase came during the first heatwave at the start of summer rather than during the peak of the season. The astronomical summer continues until September 21, but meteorologists count autumn from September 1. The early balance also points to intense drought and fires, while disaster-related damage across Europe could reach roughly €100 billion this year.

Determining how many people died directly because of heat is difficult. High temperatures often worsen existing conditions, including cardiovascular disease, rather than appear as the sole cause of death. Researchers therefore use excess mortality, comparing current death figures with long-term averages. EuroMOMO does not publish absolute death totals by country, instead reporting the statistical z-score, which measures the size of the deviation from the average.

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Sir, it is time. The summer was very great.