Lasse Vestergaard and Alexandra Schneider highlight significant excess mortality across Europe during the record-breaking 2026 heat wave.
Europe experienced a significant spike in mortality during the 2026 heat wave, with over 10,000 excess deaths recorded across the continent in late June. Lasse Vestergaard of Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, which coordinates the EuroMOMO monitoring hub, attributed this high mortality to the exceptional breadth of the heat wave affecting numerous countries simultaneously. Data from the EuroMOMO hub showed 14,260 excess deaths in the week ending June 28, with the highest rates occurring in France, Belgium, and Germany. Alexandra Schneider, a meteorologist and epidemiologist at Helmholtz Munich, noted that while heatstroke is a primary cause, statistical modeling reveals that extreme heat is strongly associated with chronic conditions like heart attacks and strokes. The heat wave has prompted calls for better urban adaptation. Francisco Ferreira, president of the environmental association Zero, emphasized the need for "climate refuges" and building renovations to combat energy poverty. As the World Health Organization warns of increasingly difficult summers, experts suggest that the net effect of climate change will continue to increase total deaths as heat-related mortality rises faster than cold-associated deaths decline.