This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Europe's deadly, record-breaking summer heat waves sent temperatures above 40°C (104°F) in areas inhabited by 80 million people from mid-June to mid-August, according to official data analyzed by AFP, with many of those areas not used to such hot weather. Multiple waves of intense heat, fueled by climate change, have sparked devastating droughts and wildfires in several European countries this year, cut crop yields and contributed to more than 25,000 excess deaths.
Western Europe experienced its hottest start to summer ever recorded in 2026, with the June–July period reaching record levels, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Since mid-June, 30 million people in France, 23 million people in Spain and 8 million in both Germany and Italy have faced temperatures above 40°C (104°F) at least once. Such high temperatures are extremely unusual in many of the affected areas, with many buildings—even hospitals, schools and care homes—unequipped with cooling measures such as air conditioning. based its calculations on daily maximum temperatures from the European Drought Observatory and population data from the EU's Joint Research Centre.
More broadly, the thermometer climbed above 35°C (95°F) in regions covering 80% of Europe's residents, some 490 million people. As well as being intense, the heat was long-lasting. In France, more than 20 million people faced temperatures over 35°C (95°F) for at least 21 days—five times more than in the summer of 2022.
Temperatures over 35°C (95°F) also hit countries normally spared extreme heat, such as the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland. While mountainous areas have been spared the worst of the heat, the exceptional temperatures have seen a record number of rockfalls in the Alps, according to a French scientist. Ludovic Ravanel of France's national scientific research center, CNRS, said high temperatures were melting "invisible" ice in cracks that had held rocks together, causing them to fall.
Official German data released Thursday showed a record 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer, along with 4,500 in Spain and 7,300 in France. The totals are not definitive and could yet rise. Master's in physics with research experience.
Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
