Europe Swelters as Heatwave Moves East

Europeans continued to swelter on Sunday as a deadly heatwave pushed eastward across the continent, driving excess deaths higher despite brief relief from overnight storms in France and Belgium.

Central and Eastern Europe bore the brunt of the intense weather, with Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic recording historically high temperatures.

According to meteorological forecasts and population data, approximately 191 million Europeans experienced daytime temperatures exceeding 35°C, while roughly 381 million experienced temperatures above 30°C.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that the intense weather has caused more than 1,300 excess deaths across Europe since June 21.

WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on X that extreme heat currently threatens 150 million people, causes school closures, and buckles power grids.

Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average. Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling.

Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 28, 2026

While severe overnight storms brought lower temperatures to France, they also turned destructive, causing at least one fatality near Brussels when a falling tree crushed a car.

In France, authorities remained on high alert to avoid a repeat of the catastrophic 2003 heatwave, which claimed 15,000 lives.

The national health agency reported around 1,000 excess deaths since June 24, primarily affecting citizens aged 65 and older, and warned that the death toll would likely rise.

However, French Health Minister Stephanie Rist noted that improved preparation in elderly care homes would likely prevent a crisis of the magnitude of 2003, while Interior Minister Laurent Nunez defended the state’s response against public criticism.

Meanwhile, severe heat continued to topple historical records near the German-Polish border.

Poland logged an all-time national high of 40.5°C in the town of Slubice, while Germany recorded a new national peak of 41.7°C in Coschen, breaking a record set just 24 hours prior.

The Czech Republic also broke local records for a second consecutive day, reaching 41.1°C in Doksany.

The persistent heatwave is also damaging regional ecosystems and driving ecological alarms.

Scientists at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research reported that warming waters in the English Channel are disrupting marine biodiversity and the local food chain, driving away cold-water fish species.

French paleoclimatologist Jean Jouzel criticised the public and political tendency to ignore scientific warnings once immediate crises pass, urging leaders to recognise the long-term severity of the climate situation.