'Deadliest summer on record' left 50,000 dead across Europe in 2026

'Deadliest summer on record' left 50,000 dead across Europe in 2026 Europe has seen a number of life-threatening heatwaves over the summer. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments By Kris Boratyn , Audience Writer 10:03, Fri, Oct 23, 2026 Updated: 10:18, Fri, Oct 23, 2026 Europe saw temperatures exceed 40C over the summer (Image: Getty) Around 50,000 people may have died as a result of extreme heat across European towns and cities during what researchers believe was the deadliest summer on record. New modelling suggests tens of thousands of excess deaths were linked to high temperatures during the summer of 2026, including an estimated 4,500 in UK towns and cities . Researchers from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine examined 854 urban areas across the EU , UK, Norway and Switzerland . Together, the areas account for around 40% of the population of the EU, UK, Norway and Switzerland. Using temperature records alongside models examining the historical relationship between heat and mortality, researchers estimated just over 50,000 heat-related deaths across the areas studied. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT They also estimated that around 65% of those deaths, more than 32,000, could be attributed to the additional heat caused by climate change. In the UK, modelling estimated around 4,500 excess-heat deaths in towns and cities. The modelling attributed around 2,500 of those deaths to additional heat from climate change. Temperatures across western Europe were particularly high during the summer, averaging around 2.9C above the 1991-2020 average. On some days, temperatures climbed as much as 12C above normal. Get the latest news from around the world and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family . Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . The period between June 17 and July 1 was particularly severe, with temperatures across Europe more than 5C above average. About a third of the estimated summer heat deaths were attributed to this period. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT The one area Putin could strike to paralyse whole of UK as Britain warned of '2030 attack' Christa Pike bombshell as major new health update issued on death row killer Italy was the worst-affected country in the analysis, with more than 13,000 estimated deaths, while southern and western Europe experienced some of the highest temperatures and estimated mortality rates. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT However, northern European countries were not spared, with thousands of deaths estimated in urban areas, including those in the UK. While older people are generally most vulnerable to heat, researchers estimated around 6,000 heat-related deaths among people under the age of 65 across the areas studied. Dr Clair Barnes, an extreme weather and climate change researcher at Imperial College London, said: “I think we can be quite confident in stating that the summer of 2026 is likely to have been the worst on record for heat-related mortality across much of Europe.” She added: “These numbers are a stark reminder that our hotter, more extreme summers are having an increasingly severe impact on public health.” Dr Barnes warned: “Behind these statistics are real people whose lives were lost and real families who grieve for them. On some days, temperatures climbed as much as 12C above normal (Image: Getty) “It is yet another reminder both of the imperative of rolling out targeted interventions to protect those who are most vulnerable to this increasingly extreme heat, and of the growing need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to slow the pace of change and limit future warming.” Dr Pierre Masselot, assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, argued that cities remain poorly adapted to increasing temperatures and called for measures including more green spaces, less pollution and healthcare support for vulnerable people. Climate transition minister Katie White said: “These shocking figures represent thousands of families who have lost a loved one this summer due to the climate crisis. We’re not waiting for climate change to arrive; it’s already happening. “We need to act, which is why we’re preparing hospitals for extreme heat, accelerating clean homegrown power to tackle the root causes of climate change, and strengthening our resilience to wildfires with the Prime Minister’s wildfire summit today.” Heatwave Hot weather Climate change Europe Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments