Third Heatwave Of Summer Hits Britain; New Estimates Of EU Heat Death Toll Surpass 20,000
The UK is sweltering through the peak of its third heatwave of the year as countries around Europe struggle to recover from an early onslaught of baking summer heat. Punishing temperatures pushed higher by fossil fuel pollution have broken records across the continent in recent weeks. Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record, scientists confirmed on Thursday, accompanied by high global ocean temperatures that could cause “mass-mortality events” for some species.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Thursday expanded amber heat health alerts to cover all regions of England except the north-east, meaning significant impacts are likely across health and social care services owing to the high temperatures. The UK Met Office said high temperatures would remain through much of next week, which could make the heatwave one of the longest lasting since the 1976 heatwave that killed 250 people. On Thursday temperatures surpassed 35C (95F) in Surrey, falling short of the provisional high of 37.7C recorded at Lingwood, Strumpshaw Hill, in Norfolk on 26 June.
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Many countries across Europe are still reckoning with the fallout from the last heatwave. On Thursday, Belgium’s public science institute said its June heat was “exceptionally deadly”, with 1,747 excess deaths, while the Robert Koch Institute reported 5,120 heat-related deaths in Germany this summer. Early academic estimates suggest the death toll across the continent could be higher than 20,000.
In France, where a nuclear reactor reportedly shut down in high heat on Thursday, scientists said the transformation of homes from “thermal kettles” into decent housing was a public health imperative. France’s high council on climate, an independent body responsible for evaluating government climate action, urged policymakers to improve housing stock and make the creation of shaded green spaces an integral part of urban regeneration. In hospitals, care homes and schools, it recommended installing shutters, shade structures, ceiling fans, cooling systems, and fixed air-conditioning units.The annual report, which is in its eighth edition, found France was not ready for the dangerous consequences of climate breakdown and said current policies were insufficient to avoid a sharp increase in risk.
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/09/uk-swelters-third-heatwave-western-europe-counts-cost-hottest-ever-june
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Check on your loved ones and neighbors if you can.
The summer has barely started.
The US heat-wave death toll has climbed to at least 40 across the country
Story by Everett Sloane
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-us-heat-wave-death-toll-has-climbed-to-at-least-40-across-the-country/ar-AA27tTTc
At least 40 people across the United States have died from suspected heat-related causes during the latest heat wave, with New Jersey alone accounting for 19 of those deaths. State officials began identifying victims as early as Thursday, many of them found inside homes without air conditioning. The toll, still preliminary
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Gaps between emergency alerts and the most vulnerable residents
The recurring detail across jurisdictions is stark: victims found dead in homes without air conditioning. Emergency declarations, cooling centers, and public alerts all assume that residents receive the message and can act on it. For older adults living alone, people with mobility limitations, or households that cannot afford to run an air conditioner, those assumptions break down. The emergency infrastructure works for people who can reach it, and the deaths suggest a significant number cannot.
Officials typically rely on a mix of text alerts, social media posts, local news coverage, and city hotlines to announce cooling options. Yet those channels miss residents who lack smartphones, do not use the internet regularly, or speak languages not covered by standard outreach. In some neighborhoods, distrust of government agencies or fear of leaving pets and belongings unattended can also discourage people from traveling to cooling centers, even when they know those centers exist.
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The US heat-wave death toll has climbed to at least 40 across the country. © Image Credit: NOAA - Public domain/Wiki Commons
