France says the late-June European heat wave has already been linked to 1,000 excess deaths, highlighting the severity of a record-setting event affecting multiple countries.
Even where storms have moved in, the emergency is still putting pressure on electricity networks, transportation, hospitals, and care systems serving older adults.
What happened?
According to Reuters, French health officials said older adults account for most of the known heat-related deaths so far. They also expect the total to rise as more deaths in private homes and residential care facilities are identified.
Researchers say the event began on June 20 and stands as the worst heat wave ever recorded in Europe. Forecasts called for temperatures near or above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in parts of Germany, Poland, and Italy, even as storms hit sections of France.
"Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social platform X.
"Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the 'once-in-a-generation' heatwave is now occurring nearly annually. We were warned," he wrote further.
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Basic services are also being affected. Electricity provider Enedis said 36,000 households in northern and central France were without power Sunday afternoon, while Reuters reported reduced train service on a major rail line in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia and suspended trams in Leipzig.
Water systems and energy production are also under strain. In Italy, the Po River has shrunk enough for seawater to move about 11.2 miles (18 kilometers) inland, and Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant was expected to cut output again because the Danube water used for cooling had become too warm.
Why does it matter?
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist warned that the health effects could persist for up to 10 days after temperatures ease. That lingering danger is especially serious for older adults, children, outdoor workers, and people with existing health conditions.
Scientists told Reuters that human-caused planetary warming was central to this event, saying a heat wave like this would have been nearly impossible without it. They also said this week's unusually hot nights were about 100 times more likely than they were two decades ago, limiting one of the body's few chances to recover from daytime heat stress.
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What's being done?
Across Europe, authorities are also dealing with immediate fallout from the heat, including transit disruptions, grid stress, and rising demand on healthcare systems.
Protective steps include checking on older neighbors and relatives, using cooling centers when available, staying hydrated, avoiding outdoor activity during peak afternoon heat, and watching for symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, rapid heartbeat, and nausea.
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