Record-breaking heat wave causes hundreds of deaths across Europe, spreads to Italy and Balkans

Aug 13, 2025

A deadly heat wave that has disrupted Europe for over a week spreads to Italy and the Balkans in August 2025, causing hundreds of excess deaths including approximately 1,000 in France alone. Southern France records temperatures exceeding 43°C while multiple regions surpass 40°C, prompting red heat alerts from Météo-France and likely heatwave thresholds across southern and central England. The extreme heat sparks simultaneous wildfires across Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Turkey, deploying nearly 5,000 firefighters in Greece and 700 in Portugal, while Turkey's Çanakkale fire temporarily closes the Dardanelles Strait to shipping. The crisis unfolds as Europe warms at roughly twice the global average since the 1980s, with land temperatures rising more than 2.2°C above pre-industrial levels.

Record European heat temperatures

▪Southern France reached temperatures over 43 °C during the August 2025 heatwave.
▪Temperatures above 40 °C were recorded across multiple European regions in August 2025.

Europe fastest warming continent

▪European land temperatures have risen more than 2.2 °C relative to pre-industrial conditions.
▪Europe is the fastest-warming continent, warming at roughly twice the global average since the 1980s.

Climate change attribution science

▪2024 observed warming at 1.52 °C, with most of the warming human-induced.
▪2024 was the first calendar year with the global average temperature above 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.
▪2024 was the warmest year on record globally.
▪The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that human activities, principally greenhouse gases from fossil fuel use, have unequivocally caused global warming.

Wildfire evacuations across Europe

▪About 700 firefighters were deployed to tackle the Trancoso wildfire in Portugal in August 2025.
▪Greek authorities deployed nearly 5,000 firefighters and 33 aircraft to combat wildfires in August 2025.
▪Simultaneous wildfires occurred in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Turkey in August 2025.
▪The Dardanelles Strait experienced shipping suspensions due to wildfires in Turkey's Çanakkale province in August 2025.
▪Evacuations occurred near Madrid and across the Spanish regions of Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, Andalusia, and Galicia in August 2025.
▪A death occurred near Madrid related to the August 2025 heatwave and wildfires.
▪Evacuations occurred near Patras and on the Greek islands of Chios and Zakynthos in August 2025.
▪A major wildfire in Turkey's Çanakkale province prompted evacuations and temporary closure of the Dardanelles Strait in August 2025.

National heat alert systems

▪Multiple French departments were placed on red heat alert while many others remained on orange alert in August 2025.
▪Météo-France issued red alert canicule for parts of southern France in August 2025.
▪The UK Met Office stated that heatwave thresholds were likely to be met across much of southern and central England in August 2025.
▪The UK Met Office defines a heatwave as occurring when locations meet their regional threshold for three consecutive days.