WHO reports over 1,300 heat-related deaths in Europe as record temperatures grip the continent

Record-breaking temperatures

An exceptional heat dome has settled over Europe, driving temperatures far above seasonal norms. In Germany, the town of Coschen in Brandenburg reached 41.7°C, while Kubschutz in Saxony recorded a nighttime low of 29.4°C. The Czech Republic saw its highest temperature ever at Doksany, 41.1°C, and Poland set a new national record of 40.5°C in Slubice. Denmark also broke its all-time record, with Odense hitting 36.6°C, the highest since measurements began in 1874. In Italy, Milan and Turin both registered nighttime lows of 27°C, a value that may be the highest nocturnal temperature recorded in Turin since 1753.

Health impact and WHO warning

On June 28, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that more than 1,300 excess deaths linked to high temperatures had been recorded across Europe since June 21. He described heat stress as a "silent killer" and noted that European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for such conditions. Around 150 million people are currently living under extreme heat warnings, he said.

Europe is the continent that is warming fastest on Earth, with warming double the global average. Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat waves, hundreds have died, schools are closed, power grids are failing.

In Italy, the Ministry of Health placed 18 cities under red alert, the highest warning level. Two deaths were reported in the country: a 56-year-old farm worker found dead in a field near Lodi, and a 57-year-old homeless man discovered on a bench in the Monza area.

Climate change driving frequency

Meteorologist Mattia Gussoni of iLMeteo.it said the current temperature anomaly, with values up to 10°C above average and peaks of 15–20°C above normal in France and Germany, would not have been physically possible two decades ago. He attributed the records not only to the expansion of the African subtropical anticyclone but primarily to background climate change driven by rising CO₂ concentrations.

A similar phase of anomalous heat, just twenty years ago, would not have been physically possible. The responsibility for these records lies above all in underlying climate change.

Tedros echoed that heat waves once considered once-in-a-generation events are now occurring almost annually, driven by climate change and global warming. The WHO is working with member states on heat-health action plans, encouraging countries to implement preparedness and prevention measures.

Forecast and storm risk

A change is expected from Tuesday or Wednesday, when a disturbance will bring thunderstorms and more widespread showers to northern Italy, the Apennines and Adriatic regions. However, the enormous thermal energy accumulated raises the risk of intense hailstorms and violent wind gusts. The heat is also shifting eastward, with Germany, Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic already reporting their highest temperatures on record.