At least 212 deaths recorded between Sunday and Wednesday have been attributed to the heatwave currently hitting Spain, according to figures released today by the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid. During the same four-day period in 2025, 98 deaths had been attributed to the same cause.
The figures are based on a system known as MoMo (Mortality Monitoring), which collects daily death counts across Spain and calculates the difference between recorded mortality and expected mortality based on historical data. The system also incorporates temperature data published by Spain's national meteorological agency, Aemet.
As of today, no area of Spain remains under orange or red heatwave alert, according to Aemet. However, last Monday and Tuesday recorded average temperatures of 28.17°C and 28.08°C respectively, making them the hottest June days recorded in Spain since 1950. Aemet also noted that June 2025 was the hottest June ever recorded in the country. Between mid-May and the end of September 2025, the MoMo system attributed 3,832 deaths to heat across Spain.
France reaches peak heat with records broken overnight
Today marks the peak of the heatwave that has been affecting France since the start of the week, with 72 of the country's 101 departments under red alert, covering 51.1 million people. The maximum red alert level is due to be lifted in 11 departments in western France from 22:00 local time tonight, with Météo France forecasting a gradual drop in temperatures from the Atlantic coast tomorrow, Friday.
The night from Wednesday to Thursday was the hottest ever recorded in France, according to Météo France. The national thermal index, measuring average minimum temperatures across 30 reference stations, reached a provisional value of 22°C, breaking the previous record of 21.6°C set just days earlier on the night of Monday to Tuesday.
Three deaths found at home in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France are considered likely to be connected to the current heatwave episode, authorities announced on Wednesday evening. The three individuals were described as an elderly man carrying out outdoor work and two people at home who also had other medical conditions. In south-western France, one person died and another is missing near Biarritz after a significant section of cliff collapsed into the sea close to a busy beach on Wednesday evening. The collapse, affecting approximately 2,000 square metres of rock, occurred at around 20:20 local time, when three local divers were in the water below the cliff face.
French Education Minister Edouard Jeffré announced that approximately 3,500 schools are closed today as the heatwave reaches its peak, while a further 10,000 have adjusted their operating hours.
UK breaks June heat record
Temperatures in the United Kingdom reached 35.7°C on Wednesday at Charlwood in southern England, breaking the country's June heat record, according to the national meteorological service. The previous record stood at 35.6°C, set on 28 June 1976 in Southampton.
Austria on maximum alert this weekend
Austria has issued maximum-level heatwave alerts for this weekend and Monday in Vienna and the eastern part of the country, as well as in cities in the south, where temperatures could exceed 40°C. The public has been advised to remain indoors during the hottest hours of the day.
Denmark bracing for orange alert
Almost all of Denmark is expected to be placed on orange alert, the second warning level, on Friday, as temperatures may reach 35°C over the weekend, particularly in the south and east of the country, according to the DMI meteorological institute.
Switzerland sets June temperature record
Switzerland broke its June temperature record today, with 38°C recorded in Basel in the north of the country, surpassing a record that had stood for nearly 80 years. The previous record for June was 36.9°C, also set in Basel, in 1947. According to the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MétéoSuisse), six stations in northern Switzerland broke records today. Half the country has been placed on level 4 alert, indicating major risk, on a scale of five. The heatwave is expected to end in the northern Alpine region next Monday, and possibly Tuesday in the south.
WHO calls for climate-resilient health systems
The head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called on Wednesday for leaders to prioritise investment in health systems resilient to climate change. Writing on X, he urged simultaneous acceleration of climate action and mitigation of the factors driving the climate crisis.
According to Agence France-Presse calculations, at least 101 million people across Europe, including more than 50 million in France and 18 million in Germany, are expected to face temperatures above 35°C at some point today. Across Europe as a whole, excluding Turkey, maximum temperatures are forecast to exceed 30°C for more than 380 million people, representing nearly two thirds of the population. The analysis is based on forecasts from the German meteorological service, 2025 European population projections from the Joint Research Centre, and data from the Austrian NGO Klimadashboard.
