Published on 6/29/2026
The World Health Organization has warned that extreme heat may be responsible for hundreds of additional deaths across Europe, announcing that more than 1,300 additional deaths have been recorded since June 21 linked to high temperatures in Europe.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, wrote on the X platform: “Europe is the continent with the fastest warming temperatures on Earth Earth, which is warming at twice the global average. “Right now, 150 million people are living in extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are closed, and energy grids are strained.”
Ghebreyesus continued, saying: “Due to climate change and global warming, the ‘once in a generation’ heat wave phenomenon is now recurring almost annually. We have been warned.”
Temperature records were broken across Europe this week, including in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, where temperatures reached or exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.
Ghebreyesus said heat stress is often called the “silent killer” and that European homes, workplaces and schools were not built to withstand these temperatures.
Earlier this week, Ghebreyesus warned that about 500,000 people die annually around the world from heat-related causes, adding that many of these deaths can be prevented.
Millions are suffering
According to analysis by Agence France-Presse, at least 191 million people were affected by temperatures higher than 35 degrees Celsius at some point on Sunday, with the heat particularly intense in Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
The World Weather Tribunal team of scientists said that this heat wave is the most intense ever recorded in Europe, and it would have been “practically impossible” for it to occur in June if it were not for climate change.
Unprecedented record temperatures were recorded in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, and June records were broken in the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Poland recorded a new record of 40.5 degrees Celsius in the city of Slobice in the west of the country, according to the National Meteorological Institute.
Germany also witnessed a new record with the temperature reaching 41.7 degrees Celsius in Cochin, near the Polish border, while the Czech Republic also broke records for the second day in a row, recording 41.9 degrees Celsius in Duksany, north of Prague. In Berlin, police used water cannons again to help reduce the severity of the heat.
In France, no province is subject to the red alert, according to what the Meteorological Service announced on Sunday, with 39 provinces placed under orange alert, including 19 provinces due to storm risks.
The French authorities began counting additional deaths that could be attributed to the historic heat that has been suffocating the country for 11 days. The number of deaths was recorded at about a thousand more than the usual level since June 24, when the temperature began to exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
The Public Health Agency in France indicated that this phenomenon particularly affected those over 65 (85% of cases), noting that deaths at home recorded the highest increase of approximately 40%, especially in the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris and its suburbs. She added that a large number of these deaths are of people over the age of 65.
