As the European heatwave shifts from Western Europe to the continent’s centre, health agencies warn of mounting fatalities as millions remain at risk
European heatwave intensifies in the east as death toll climbs
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The record‑breaking European heatwave is beginning to ease in parts of the west but is intensifying across Central and Eastern Europe, with health agencies warning of mounting excess deaths and hundreds of millions still facing dangerous temperatures according to multiple media reports.
European heatwave moves east
After days of extreme heat in Western Europe, forecasters say the worst has started to break in Spain, France and the UK, helped by overnight storms and cooler Atlantic air. But Central Europe is now bearing the brunt of the European heatwave. Poland’s weather service reported a national record of 40.5°C, while Germany logged a new all‑time high of 41.7°C and the Czech Republic reached 41.1°C at Doksany north of Prague.
The World Health Organization says more than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded across Europe since June 21 in connection with the heatwave, describing heat stress as a “silent killer” and urging governments to activate heat‑health action plans. France’s national health agency estimates around 1,000 more deaths than usual since June 24, most among people aged 65 and over, and cautions that fatalities are likely to climb further as data from care homes and private residences come in.
Local impact
In Germany, the national weather service reported that temperatures in Kubschütz in the east did not fall below 29.4°C overnight, making it the warmest night since records began nearly 150 years ago. Berlin police deployed water cannon over the weekend to spray fine mist and help residents cool off, and plan to repeat the operation as temperatures stay elevated.
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Across the continent, at least 191 million people are forecast to endure daytime temperatures above 35°C, with the heat particularly intense in Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. Storms have brought a different kind of risk: in Belgium, one person was killed when a tree fell on his car outside Brussels after violent overnight weather.
The European heatwave has forced organisers to cancel major open‑air festivals. In France, the Garorock music festival near Bordeaux and the Solidays festival in Paris were called off due to thunderstorm warnings, with each event facing losses of around €3 million and charities missing out on vital fundraising.
European heatwave: forecast
Meteorologists expect cooler conditions to extend across much of Western Europe this week, while the core of the European heatwave shifts further into Central Europe and the Balkans, where Romania has issued a red heat warning covering most of the country from Monday to Wednesday. Health ministers warn that the impact on vulnerable people can continue for up to 10 days after temperatures fall, keeping hospitals and emergency services on high alert.
