Record Heatwave Kills 1,300 in Europe, Balkans Next
A historic heatwave has shattered records across the continent, the WHO counts more than 1,300 excess deaths, and the heat is now shifting toward Germany, Italy and the Balkans amid wildfires and red alerts.
- The World Health Organization has counted more than 1,300 excess deaths in Europe since June 21, roughly 1,000 of them in France.
- The hottest day was June 23, when the French town of Pissos recorded 44.3 degrees Celsius.
- Germany broke temperature records on three straight days, hitting 41.7 degrees in Kossen on June 28.
- Red alerts were in force in six countries, and the heat is now moving toward the Balkans.
The heatwave that killed more than a thousand people in western Europe in little over a week is now sliding toward the south-east of the continent, including Serbia and the wider Balkans, where forecasters expect the first serious peaks of heat in the opening days of July. For a region that struggles more each summer with tropical nights, Europe’s June death toll is not a distant statistic but a warning that reaches far beyond Paris or Madrid.
The World Health Organization has reported more than 1,300 excess deaths across Europe since June 21, with France alone accounting for around 1,000 cases since June 24. Excess mortality measures the number of deaths above what would normally be expected in a given period, and it is precisely this indicator that experts use to gauge the true cost of extreme heat.
The hottest day was June 23, when the French town of Pissos recorded 44.3 degrees Celsius, alongside 42.1 degrees in Bordeaux and a June record of 40.9 degrees in Paris itself. The first surge, between June 22 and 23, hit the west of the continent hardest, France and Spain, where schools were closed and access to some monuments was restricted, before the focus shifted to central and eastern Europe in a later phase.
Why did this heatwave break so many records?
Meteorologists attribute the heat to a stable high-pressure system that stalled over the continent for days and acted as a lid, blocking cooler air masses from pushing in off the Atlantic. Such a block traps hot air in one place and drives daily maximums higher, which is how Germany broke temperature records on three consecutive days, reaching 41.7 degrees in the town of Kossen on June 28.
Red weather alerts, the highest level of warning, were in force in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Several cities opened cooling centres and handed out water, while authorities urged the elderly and the chronically ill to avoid going out during the hottest part of the day. Scientists warn that once-rare waves like this are becoming more frequent, and that climate change is shifting the limits of what European summers can bring.
What is coming for the Balkans?
Forecasts show the core of the heat moving toward Italy, the south-east of the continent and the Balkans over the first days of July, a region already among the most exposed to tropical nights and drought. For Serbia, where the health system issues warnings for elderly residents every summer, Europe’s toll is a reminder that a heatwave is not merely an inconvenience but a public-health risk with measurable consequences.
The experience of western Europe shows that the response, from cooling centres to clear guidance for vulnerable groups, decides how many people a wave will survive. The question for the coming days is not whether the heat will reach us, but how ready our cities are to meet it. How are you coping with this year’s heat, and what would you ask local authorities to do to ease the hottest days?
