UK Heatwave May Kill Around 600 People This Week, Researchers Warn

Last Updated:June 22, 2025, 03:50 IST

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber heat-health alert covering all of England, signalling a heightened risk to vulnerable populations

This current heatwave has also been linked to climate change, with another study suggesting it was made about 10 times more likely and 2-4°C hotter due to human-induced global warming. (Representational image/News18)

Researchers have issued a dire warning that hundreds of people in the United Kingdom could die from heat-related causes around this weekend as temperatures rise across the nation. A new real-time analysis estimates that the high temperatures experienced from Thursday, June 19, to Sunday, June 22, could claim as many as 570 lives.

This alarming projection comes from scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London, marking their first real-time analysis of excess heat deaths for 2025.

The study, published on Saturday, uses decades of UK health data to understand the relationship between heat and daily mortality across 34,753 areas in England and Wales. By combining these mortality risk functions with high-resolution weather forecasts, the researchers have predicted the excess mortality during this intense heatwave. Their estimates show a breakdown of potential deaths: 114 on Thursday, 152 on Friday, 266 on Saturday when temperatures were projected to peak above 32°C, and 37 on Sunday as temperatures are expected to fall to the mid-twenties.

A significant majority of the estimated excess deaths are expected to occur among older people. The study forecasts that 488 of the projected fatalities will be among individuals aged 65 and over, with 314 of those being people aged 85 and above. This highlights how heatwaves can be particularly deadly for those with underlying health conditions such as heart problems, diabetes, and respiratory issues, as high temperatures place immense stress on already compromised systems. However, the researchers also emphasise that heat can become life-threatening for all ages, with an estimated 82 deaths among people aged 0-64.

London is anticipated to bear the brunt of the heat-related fatalities, with 129 estimated excess deaths, followed by the West Midlands with 106 deaths and the Southeast with 81. Dr Malcolm Mistry, an assistant professor at LSHTM, stressed the gravity of the situation, stating, “Our study should be taken as a warning. Exposure to temperatures in the high 20s or low 30s may not seem dangerous, but they can be fatal, particularly for vulnerable groups."

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber heat-health alert covering all of England, signalling a heightened risk to vulnerable populations and warning of a potential rise in deaths. This current heatwave has also been linked to climate change, with another study suggesting it was made about 10 times more likely and 2-4°C hotter due to human-induced global warming.

(With agency inputs)

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News world UK Heatwave May Kill Around 600 People This Week, Researchers Warn