The peak heat in Europe has just broken the historic record of the 1970s

“Heat waves like this are expected to occur in climate change,” said John Kennedy, head of climate information at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

“In the 50 years since the historic heat wave of 1976, overall European temperatures have risen by around two degrees. It is the continent that is warming the fastest, and extreme temperatures are also increasing.”

The heat spike was caused by record-high sea surface temperatures in June, according to the monthly update from the continent’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Globally, monthly average sea surface temperatures in the extra-polar oceans (60°S-60°N) were the highest in June, surpassing the previous record recorded in June 2024 by 0.01ºC, partly reflecting the development of strong El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific, according to the service.

Death, drought and fire

Record-breaking heat waves have contributed to severe health impacts, including heat-related deaths.

Europe is also experiencing widespread drought, coupled with extreme heat, which is contributing to forest fire activity and increasing the risk of drought in parts of Eastern Europe.

Hot temperatures in parts of Western Europe continued in July, accompanied by severe local storms and in some areas by worsening drought and the risk of forest fires, including in France and the Iberian Peninsula, according to the WMO.

‘Silent killer’

Heat stress occurs when the body gains more heat than it can release, and extreme heat often referred to as the “silent killer” and remains underreported in many countries.

More than 200,000 heat-related deaths occurred in Europe over the past four years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Globally, the WMO estimates there were around 489,000 heat-related deaths annually between 2000 and 2019.

Lachlan McIver, health advisor at WHO-WMO Joint Office on Climate and Healthsaid that the groups most at risk are the elderly, children, pregnant women, outdoor workers, and people who are homeless or suffer from chronic diseases. However, heat stress can attack anyone when the temperature is extreme enough for a long period of time.

A more ‘tropical’ evening

Not just daytime temperatures, but also overnight minimum temperatures.

“Tropical night”, a term widely adopted in some regions such as Europe and parts of Asia, occurs when temperatures do not fall below 20°C. During heatwaves, this becomes increasingly common, especially in urban areas.

“When assessing the impact of a heat wave on health, the minimum temperature can be more decisive than the highest temperature in the afternoon,” said Armel Castellan, technical advisor on extreme heat services at the WMO-WHO Joint Office on Climate and Health.

“Daytime temperatures reaching 38°C but dropping to 18°C ​​overnight are in stark contrast to daytime temperatures reaching 36°C and remaining above 25°C all night. The second scenario carries much higher health risks.”

Hot action plan

WMO is one of 10 specialized UN entities that support the Secretary-GeneralCall to Action in Extreme Heatan initiative that seeks to strengthen international cooperation and reduce the impact of heat through improved science, early warning systems, public awareness and coordinated action.

The UN weather agency, its members and partners mobilized by providing early warnings and coordinated action plans to try to save lives and inform decision-making on how to minimize economic and ecosystem damage as well as disruption to infrastructure and workforce productivity.

In an effort to help countries and communities cope with extreme temperatures, the UN health and weather agency this week launches updated heat health action guide.