Published on 6/26/2026
An unprecedented heat wave is sweeping the European continent, its intensity escalating on Friday, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, with expectations that it will affect at least 150 million people.
The extreme heat caused the death of about 300 people, as well as partial paralysis in the transportation and education sectors, and the postponement of official events in several European countries.
According to Agence France-Presse, which relied on data from the German Meteorological Service and the Joint Research Center, the current heat wave will affect about 7 out of every 10 Europeans, as the temperature is expected to exceed 30 degrees Celsius for more than 420 million people on the continent. These data intersect with the numbers of the Austrian non-governmental organization “Klimadashboard”.
These numbers exceed the previous forecasts of the German Meteorological Institute, which were calculated yesterday, Thursday, and expected only 101 million people to be affected by high temperatures.
Deaths and health emergencies
The report indicates that the hot weather caused the death of about 300 people and severely overwhelmed health systems, leading to overcrowding in hospital emergency departments in several countries, prompting some governments to declare a state of emergency.
According to data from the Spanish Ministry of Health, Spain recorded 212 deaths due to extreme heat in just four days, noting that the deaths were recorded between last Sunday and Wednesday, when the temperature in some Spanish cities reached 44 degrees Celsius, which is the highest average recorded in the country since the 1950s.
In France, the death of about 20 people was recorded due to causes directly related to the heat, in addition to the drowning of more than 40 others since the middle of this month as a result of heavy and unsafe traffic on beaches and bodies of water to escape the heat.
Britain also recorded 15 deaths by drowning, and Germany 6 cases for the same reason.
Germany and France are in the lead
According to data issued by European centers, the weight of the heat wave has shifted from France to Germany, where the latter is expected to witness temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, affecting about 82 million people, including 52 million who will be affected by temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius or higher.
In the rest of the continent, expectations indicate that temperatures will exceed 35 degrees Celsius in France, Italy, Hungary, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
The Netherlands Meteorological Institute issued its first warning about an extreme heat wave, which takes effect Friday in most parts of the country.
Mobilization and cancellation of events
In light of the severe heat, some affected countries decided to cancel events and activities that were scheduled. Germany announced the postponement of the “Civil Protection Day” activities that were scheduled to be held tomorrow, Saturday, in the southwest of the country.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin announced that the decision was taken due to the harsh weather conditions, noting that a new date for the event will be announced, likely to be next fall.
The German Meteorological Service expects the southwest of the country to record record temperatures ranging between 37 and 41 degrees Celsius, and it may reach 42 degrees Celsius locally in some areas.
Yesterday, Thursday, the main French energy company stopped two nuclear reactors to protect the environment, as part of measures related to dealing with the heat wave hitting the country and large parts of Western Europe.
The heat wave also caused power outages and the closure of public facilities in Spain, Italy and Britain.
Meteorologists and climate experts attribute this violent wave to the “heat dome” phenomenon, where high atmospheric pressure systems cause hot air to be trapped in low layers above the European continent and prevent its dispersion, leading to a continuous accumulation of heat.
Scientists have confirmed that greenhouse gas emissions and the phenomenon of climate change directly contribute to the exacerbation of these phenomena and make them more frequent and severe compared to past decades.
