European Heatwave

A severe heatwave gripping Spain has been linked to at least 20 deaths in the past week, as temperatures exceeded 45°C in parts of the country.

In the Valencian Community, 16 people died between July 1 and July 7, most of them over 65. Seven deaths occurred in Valencia province, six in Alicante, and three in Castellón. In Andalusia, a 59-year-old Russian woman living in Seville became the region's fourth fatality on July 9, and a 48-year-old foreign national died of heatstroke in Seville on the same day.

The MoMo monitoring system estimates 1,556 heat-attributable deaths nationwide since the season began. Andalusia alone has recorded more than 1,080 heat-related emergencies, with 334 requiring hospital care.

A severe heat wave that gripped Germany from mid-June has cost roughly 5,100 lives, according to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute, already exceeding the annual heat-related death tolls recorded in each of the three previous years. The vast majority of excess deaths — approximately 4,310 — occurred in a single week between 22 and 28 June, when the national average weekly temperature reached 26.4 degrees Celsius.

Older residents bore the heaviest burden, with about 4,270 of the dead aged 75 or older. The German Weather Service said June 2026 was the country's second-warmest on record, and 46 stations recorded temperatures above 40 degrees on 27 June.

The crisis extended beyond Germany, with thousands of additional deaths also reported across France, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. June 2026 was the European Union's hottest on record, running more than 3 degrees above the 1991–2020 average.

Italy is gripped by its third heat wave of summer 2026, with average temperatures hovering around 35°C and peaks expected to breach 40°C in parts of the country. The scorching African air mass arrived on 8 July and forecasters say it will persist without relief until at least 20 July. Sardinia could see extremes of 43–45°C between 13 and 15 July, while the Po Valley is forecast to reach 39°C and coastal waters off Cesenatico already register 28°C.

The World Health Organization has warned of further deadly weeks ahead across Europe, where the continent has been warming at twice the global average since 2014. On Thursday, ten cities carry orange-level health alerts, with Florence under the highest red warning. June itself was the second hottest on record since 2003, running 3.26°C above the long-term baseline.

Western Europe recorded its hottest June in history in 2026, with an average temperature of 20.74°C that exceeded the 1991–2020 baseline by more than 3°C and surpassed the previous regional record set in June 2025. Globally, June 2026 was the second-warmest June on record, trailing only June 2024, while global sea surface temperatures reached their highest level ever recorded for the month.

The most severe heatwave on record for Europe struck between June 20 and 28, exposing roughly 410 million Europeans to temperatures above 35°C, with France, Spain and Belgium among the hardest-hit nations. France, the Netherlands and Belgium reported a combined 3,700 additional deaths attributed to the extreme heat.

The World Health Organization warned that Europe could face 'deadlier weeks' if further heatwaves materialise, noting that fewer than half of European member states have heat-health action plans in place.

Global sea surface temperatures have reached an unprecedented level for June, surpassing records previously set during the 2023–24 El Niño years. The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that waters hit 20.86°C on 21 June, edging past the 20.83°C mark observed in 2023 and 2024, and warned that rising ocean heat threatens weather patterns and marine ecosystems.

The warming is acutely visible in Europe. The Met Office said UK waters are enduring an extreme marine heatwave fuelled by last month's heat dome, with some areas 4–5°C warmer than usual. Parts of the Mediterranean are up to 6°C above the long-term average, while sections of the North Sea sit around 3°C above normal.

Professor Katherine Richardson of the University of Copenhagen described sea temperatures as a key marker of climate change. Professor John Pinnegar warned that such extreme conditions could trigger mass-mortality events for marine species.

A fast-moving wildfire in the Pyrénées-Orientales department near Perpignan has forced the evacuation of roughly 12,000 people from about 20 communities, with nearly 5,000 hectares scorched and 46 structures affected. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said six people have been detained on suspicion of involvement in igniting the fires, and warned that strong winds could worsen conditions.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU would dispatch four firefighting aircraft from Cyprus and Sweden to assist French crews. Tour de France spectators were urged to avoid Monday's third-stage finish to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.

Separate blazes have erupted across southern France, including a 2,000-hectare fire near Die in the Drôme and a fire that briefly cut the main Ajaccio–Bastia highway in Corsica. In Spain, a blaze in the Les Gavarres reserve destroyed over 2,200 hectares, and the highest heat-alert level has been declared in parts of the country.

Forecasting models indicate an extreme El Niño is developing toward potentially historic strength, with a leading expert at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts saying he has never seen such a powerful and consistent projection in more than three decades.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme appealed on July 6 for over $200 million to shield 8.8 million people across 22 high-risk countries, including Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Zimbabwe. Researchers warn that climate change may worsen El Niño's impacts, which historically bring drought to southern Africa and heavy rains to East Africa.

The pattern follows the last El Niño, which helped make 2023 the second-hottest year on record and 2024 the hottest. Meanwhile, a separate late-June heatwave killed 3,700 excess people in France, the Netherlands and Belgium — an event scientists say would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, though unrelated to El Niño.