Inside Europe's most brutal June heatwave yet: Thousands dead as heat shatters century-old records

France endured a rise of nearly 30% in the number of deaths recorded during the week of June 22, the peak of a record-breaking heatwave that battered the country, the public health authority said Friday (July 3, 2026). Public Health France said in a new report there had been "an increase of 29.1%, corresponding to 2,025 additional deaths compared with the previous week" while noting that the figure was probably "an underestimate". The number of deaths increased by 62% in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands reported at least 3,700 excess deaths during the June heatwave, which lasted from about June 20-28. Experts attribute this worst recorded European heatwave to climate change, noting disruptions to power, infrastructure, and healthcare. France saw 2,025 excess deaths, with a 91% rise in home deaths between June 22-28. Paris: An area of Europe with 410 million people -- more than two-thirds of the continent's population -- experienced temperatures over 35°C at least once during a June 15-30 heatwave, according to an AFP analysis. By comparison, some 320 million people in Europe experienced such temperatures during a record-setting heatwave between August 1 and 17, 2003. AFP made the calculations using daily maximum temperature data from the European Drought Observatory and population figures from the Joint Research Centre. Almost the After scorching June, Spain and France are bracing for another possible heatwave that could make the temperature go as high as 44C over the upcoming days. It is pertinent to note that the figures show that June’s extreme heat was responsible for more than 2,000 excess deaths in just these two European nations. According to Spain’s meteorological agency, Aemet, a mass of dry and very hot air would bring persistently high temperatures to much of Spain from Saturday, adding that