Heatwaves across England and Wales killed at least 2,700 people in May and June 2026, with more than 40% of the deaths attributed to human-caused global heating, according to a study published Sunday by researchers at Imperial College London, the UK Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The June heatwave, the widest and most intense ever recorded in Europe, killed roughly 2,200 people in England and Wales between 18 and 28 June — about 440 deaths per day during its three-day peak. An earlier spell of extreme heat claimed approximately 550 lives between 21 and 29 May. Monthly temperature records were set in England at 35.1°C in May and 37.7°C in June, with maximum daytime temperatures estimated to be 3°C to 4°C higher due to climate change.
Across Europe, the June heatwave was estimated to have cost more than 20,000 lives.