More than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded across Europe since 21 June in a heatwave that has shattered temperature records from Germany to Poland — and London is now bracing for an eight‑day spell above 30°C that could peak at a potentially lethal 40°C.
On Sunday, Germany experienced its hottest day ever for the third consecutive day, with 41.7°C logged at Coschen near the Polish border. Poland broke its all‑time record with 40.5°C in Slubice, and the Czech Republic recorded 41.1°C at Doksany, north of Prague. The extreme weather, which the World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said is “driven by climate change and global warming”, has turned what was once a once‑in‑a‑generation event into a near‑annual phenomenon.
“WHO links 1,300+ excess deaths to Europe heatwave as London faces eight days above 30°C.”
“Heat stress is often called the ‘silent killer’ — and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures,” Tedros warned. He added that Europe is the fastest‑warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average, and called on countries to implement heat health action plans.
France alone recorded around 1,000 excess deaths since the previous Wednesday, with a 40% rise in people dying at home, mostly those aged 65 and over.
Now the heat is turning its sights on the UK. London is set for eight consecutive days above 30°C starting Monday, July 6, according to the latest BBC Weather forecasts. The capital could see its second extreme heatwave this summer, just days after Heathrow’s record‑breaking 36.4°C in June. Temperatures are forecast to climb from 28°C on Sunday, July 5 to 32°C by Wednesday, July 8, and remain in the low 30s through the following weekend.
Jim Dales of the British Weather Services said Tuesday, July 7 has the potential to be a scorching 40°C — a temperature never before recorded in the UK but one that would rival the European highs. “What we’re talking about here is unprecedented,” Dales told MyLondon. “Of course we’re in trouble. The estimate from the World Health and Organisation is that 1,300 people died in last week's heat wave across Europe. My guess is it's probably a lot more. Heat deaths tend to be very quiet deaths — it brings on heart attacks, strokes, and various other ailments particularly in the elderly, the weak, and the young.”
Tony Wisson, Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, said high pressure building from the Azores will bring “more settled, warm or very warm conditions for many, especially across England and Wales” towards the weekend.
With schools shut, grids buckling, and hundreds already dead, the question is whether the UK’s infrastructure — built for a cooler climate — can withstand what Dales called the “writing on the wall” of climate change.