Around 16,000 more people than usual died across Europe during a week of extreme heat in late June, according to a report based on European mortality data. The sharp rise in deaths came as temperatures surged across much of the continent.According to The European Mortality Monitoring Network (EuroMOMO) report cited by New York Times, most of the excess deaths were recorded in northern Europe, particularly France, Belgium and Germany, where populations are less accustomed to prolonged extreme heat. These countries are generally less accustomed to extreme heat than southern Europe and have fewer systems in place to cope with prolonged high temperatures.Temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit across large parts of Spain and Italy in late June. However, the sharpest increase in deaths was recorded in north-western Europe, where temperatures were far above seasonal norms.The scale of the mortality spike stood out against the usual pattern in Europe, where excess deaths are more commonly recorded during winter because of respiratory illnesses. The NYT reported that the number of excess deaths during the June heatwave exceeded that seen in any single week of the previous winter.The episode came as Europe continued to face another round of extreme heat in August. Meanwhile, Brussels recorded its hottest day on record on August 14, reaching 35.9C, Belgium’s IRM weather agency said, according to AFP. The areas home to at least 150 million people experienced temperatures above 35 degrees celsius that day.The heat has also fueled multiple wildfires. A major wildfire in western Germany that forced thousands of people to evacuate was brought under control on Saturday, although residents remained unable to return home, local authorities said.The New York Times reported that June ended as western Europe’s hottest June on record. Researchers use excess deaths, the number of deaths above what would normally be expected based on historical patterns, to assess the health impact of extreme temperatures.Earlier, Reuters reported in July that the heatwave disrupted power supplies, forced school closures and broke temperature records in France, Spain and the UK. Euro MOMO does not publish country-level excess mortality figures, but said France and Belgium were the only European countries to record “very high excess” mortality in the final week of June.Belgium recorded its highest excess mortality during any heatwave since records began in 2000, according to the country’s public health institute Sciensano.A previous major heatwave in 2022 was associated with just over 16,000 excess deaths in Europe in one week, according to European Mortality Monitoring Network data. The difference was that the most severe temperatures in 2022 were concentrated in southern Europe.With heatwaves becoming more frequent and intense, the latest mortality figures are raising questions about how countries can better protect populations as extreme temperatures become more common.
