Record-breaking heatwave across Western Europe causes hundreds of deaths, with temperatures exceeding 110°F

A record-breaking June 2026 heatwave across Western Europe has triggered hundreds of deaths and severe infrastructure strain. Spain's MoMo system linked 212 deaths to the heat, while France reported multiple child fatalities and dozens of drownings. Temperatures surpassed historic records, reaching 36.4C in the UK and 38C in Switzerland. Emergency services faced unprecedented demand, including a record 642 Category 1 calls in London, while power outages, water bans, and nuclear shutdowns disrupted daily life.

Western Europe temperature records

• ▪The United Kingdom recorded its hottest-ever June temperature on June 25, 2026, when temperatures reached 36.4 degrees Celsius in Yeovilton, Somerset
• ▪Switzerland registered its hottest-ever June temperature on June 25, 2026, with 38 degrees Celsius measured at the Basel weather station
• ▪France recorded its hottest day since records began in 1947 on June 24, 2026, with the national temperature indicator hitting 30 degrees Celsius
• ▪Spain recorded its highest daily average temperatures in June since at least 1950, with averages of 28.08 degrees Celsius on June 22, 2026, and 28.17 degrees Celsius on June 23, 2026

Heat-related deaths across Europe

• ▪A three-year-old boy died in Saint-Gratien, a suburb of Paris, after becoming trapped in a car where temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius on June 24, 2026
• ▪At least 40 people drowned in France while swimming in unsupervised areas during the heatwave week
• ▪An estimated 212 excess deaths in Spain between June 21 and June 24, 2026, were linked to the heatwave by the MoMo mortality monitoring system

Emergency service strain

• ▪France experienced a fourfold increase in national emergency room visits for heat-related reasons during the heatwave
• ▪The London Ambulance Service responded to a record 642 Category 1 emergency calls on June 24, 2026, driven by the extreme heat
• ▪Paris recorded 25 cardiac arrests over a 24-hour period on June 24, 2026, compared to a daily average of fewer than 10

Infrastructure failures from heat

• ▪A heat-related equipment failure in the Brittany region of northwest France knocked out power to tens of thousands of households
• ▪French authorities shut down three nuclear reactors because the surrounding cooling waters became too hot during the heatwave
• ▪South East Water implemented a hosepipe ban in Kent, affecting approximately 850,000 customers due to increased demand during the heatwave

Fossil fuel climate attribution

• ▪Anthropogenic climate change is making European heatwaves more severe and raising temperatures by an estimated 2 to 4 degrees Celsius
• ▪Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average, making it the fastest-warming continent according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service

UK emissions targets

• ▪The United Kingdom's Climate Change Committee advised that the country's infrastructure was built for a climate that no longer exists and requires urgent improvement
• ▪The United Kingdom parliament voted on June 24, 2026, to set a legally binding target of an 87% reduction in carbon emissions by 2040