Heatwave July: Europe raises alarm after 1,300 excess deaths; is the UK heading for a summer of serial heatwaves?

If one thought Europe’s early summer had already pulled all its punches, wait till it unveils all that it has in store.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have already been more than 1,300 excess deaths since June 21 as relentless heatwaves roll across the continent.

Temperatures have blasted past 40°C in several countries, stretching healthcare systems to their breaking point and fueling fresh anxiety about how climate change ramps up the risks of extreme heat.What’s striking is that this heatwave hasn’t just felt hot. It’s broken temperature records, put massive stress on infrastructure, triggered wildfires, and swamped emergency services. In France alone, about 1,000 extra deaths have been tied to the heat, mostly among older adults.

And those numbers are likely to climb as officials piece together the full picture.For the UK, this is already sounding alarm bells. After sweating through several unusually hot spells already this June, it’s only natural to wonder: Is this just the start? Are we headed for a summer of hit-after-hit heatwaves?

A silent killer sweeping across Europe

As reported by Reuters, AP News, and the BBC, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didn’t mince words when he detailed how the heat is now a serious threat to public health.

Europe, he says, is heating up faster than any other continent. Right now, roughly 150 million Europeans are living with dangerous temperatures, and hospitals are seeing a spike in patients suffering from dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heart trouble.The spread has reached everywhere from Spain and France through Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Some places have slammed into their hottest June days ever.

Emergency services can barely keep up, and scientists keep making one thing clear: These heatwaves aren’t weird, one-off events anymore — they’re becoming routine. Research shows that climate change is pushing up average temperatures and making extreme heat events both stronger and more frequent.

Heatwave in the UK

Britain’s not on the sidelines when it comes to heatwaves. May and June 2026 have already served up two serious heatwaves, with plenty of spots in England hitting well above 30°C.

Health alerts have flashed all over the country, with officials worried especially for the elderly, the very young, and folks with health conditions. Public health teams estimate that hundreds of heat-related deaths may have happened during the first heatwave alone.Sure, things might cool off for a bit, but meteorologists keep talking about more heatwaves waiting in the wings later this summer. This isn’t just a gut feeling, either.

Longer-range forecasts are favoring hotter, drier months ahead, and the UK Met Office’s predictions all but spell out an increased risk for more episodes of extreme heat in July and August.

Are we heading for a summer of serial heatwaves?

After two back-to-back months of two heatwaves, this is the obvious question that follows. Interestingly, this is something that hasn’t happened since 1911: The UK has already broken multiple long-standing temperature records with two heatwaves, and summer isn’t close to over, and July and August are usually the real scorchers.Now, ‘serial heatwaves’ implies back-to-back periods of serious heat, split up by only short cooler breaks. No one can call the exact dates of the next round of heat, but all signs point to the atmosphere favoring more warm spells across Europe right now.This doesn’t mean we’re staring down nothing but blazing sun for months. There’ll be cooler weather, some rain, and unsettled spells too. But the reality is our climate has changed enough that heatwaves are simply more likely than they were 30 years ago.Per the BBC, the recent European numbers drive the point home: Events that once seemed like “once-a-generation” phenomena are now showing up every summer. For the UK, it’s more than just uncomfortable, as the homes, transport, and infrastructure are built to keep warmth in, not get rid of it. Long stretches of heat can spell real trouble in crowded cities.

What happens next?

As the Met Office highlighted, the current heatwave will eventually lose steam and push east, but the underlying trend is clear and serious.

Health experts keep reminding us that heat quietly kills, mostly through dehydration, heart issues, and making existing conditions worse.Over the next few weeks, it’s too soon to say whether 2026 will join the ranks of famous hot UK summers like 1976, 2019, or 2022. But everything we’re seeing points to above-average risk for more hot spells. And if that pans out, 2026 might not be remembered for just one deadly heatwave, but a string of them.