Europe’s Heatwave Moves Toward the East as Spain Braces for 42°C and France Reports 1,000 Excess Deaths

Extreme heat remains a major hazard across Europe

Europe remains under the pressure of an intense heatwave that has strained health systems, closed museums and schools early, and pushed temperatures to dangerous levels across several countries.

Since June 20, large parts of the continent have been dealing with severe heat. According to AFP estimates, at least 191 million people in Europe were forecast to experience temperatures of at least 35 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

After days of severe conditions in western Europe, the heatwave is moving toward eastern Europe. Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland are among the areas where the heat is particularly intense. Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, Austria and western Ukraine will also be affected.

France reports 1,000 excess deaths

France’s public health agency has reported 1,000 excess deaths as the intense heatwave continues across Europe. The agency, which operates under the French Ministry of Health, said the number is preliminary and that the mortality rate is expected to rise as more information is released about deaths in homes and residential care.

Most of the fatalities involved older people, especially those aged 65 and older. The agency also stated that the health effects of extreme heat have affected the entire population.

The heat has eased in much of France, but it has not fully passed. France’s weather agency said extreme conditions had diminished in most parts of the country, while some areas in the northeast remained under a heatwave advisory.

“The episode is not finished"

French Health Minister Stephanie Rist warned that the impact of the heatwave could linger even after the worst of the temperatures move away.

Stephanie Rist: “The episode is not finished."

She told La Tribune newspaper that the effect of the heatwave could last for up to 10 days.

The danger does not end the moment the thermometer drops. Heat stress can accumulate, especially among older people, people with chronic illness and those living in homes that stay hot through the night.

Spain braces for another surge of heat

Spain is facing only a brief break before temperatures rise again. The national meteorological agency Aemet warned that a warmer-than-normal air mass will settle over the Iberian Peninsula in the coming days and bring back intense heat by the weekend.

The warming will not arrive all at once, and it will not affect every region equally. Northern Spain will be one of the few exceptions, with the Atlantic seaboard, cloud cover and winds helping to maintain a milder atmosphere.

Elsewhere, temperatures will climb sharply.

Forecasts point to the most intense rise from the start of July. Seville, Spain, could reach 42 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Badajoz, Spain, is expected to be near 41 degrees, while Córdoba, Spain, could reach about 40 degrees.

Other inland provincial capitals, including Toledo, Spain, Ciudad Real, Spain, Jaén, Spain, and Cáceres, Spain, could approach the same threshold, with forecast temperatures between 38 and 39 degrees Celsius.

What “warmer than normal" means

Aemet’s warning means that temperatures forecast for Spain will be above the averages for late June and the turn of the month.

The recent relief, with milder dawns and somewhat cooler nights, will fade as the week progresses. Thermometers are expected to climb back above 30 degrees Celsius across many areas.

Aemet: “It is likely that towards the end of the week the heat will once again be very intense across most of the country."

Weather models indicate above-average temperatures around the turn of the month, especially in inland areas.

The heat will build gradually. Then it will settle.

Germany records deaths and an exceptionally warm night

In Germany, at least seven people died in swimming accidents over the weekend as the heat sent many people to lakes and rivers to cool off, according to the dpa news agency.

At least two people died in separate swimming accidents in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, German police said. In another incident, a group in a rubber dinghy found an unresponsive man in Jungfernheideteich, a man-made lake in a public park in western Berlin, Germany.

Germany has been gripped by extreme heat for several days, with temperatures reaching or exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in many places.

Kubschuetz, Germany, recorded an especially striking night. According to the German weather service, DWD, the temperature there did not fall below 29.4 degrees Celsius during Saturday night, making it the warmest night since records began almost 150 years ago.

Records fall in central Europe

The heatwave has brought record-level temperatures beyond France and Spain.

On Saturday, preliminary all-time temperature records were set in Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

The numbers show both the intensity and reach of the event. Daytime heat has been severe, but very warm nights have added another layer of risk. When nights remain hot, the body gets less time to recover before the next day’s heat begins again.

The heat holds in walls, roads and city spaces. It does not fully drain away after sunset.

Omega block keeps hot air in place

Scientists said the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without man-made climate change.

The immediate weather pattern behind the recent extreme heat is known as an omega block. This pattern traps a bulging mass of hot air over regions for extended periods.

Under that setup, the atmosphere becomes slow to change. Heat lingers, skies stay stable, and each day can reinforce the next. The longer the block holds, the more pressure it places on health systems, transport, schools and daily routines.

Thunderstorms expected as heat begins to ease

Most of the extreme heat is expected to wane over the weekend, but the change in weather will bring another hazard: heavy thunderstorms.

As the heatwave loses strength in some areas and shifts farther east, the atmosphere can become more unstable. After several days of intense heating, incoming storms may develop quickly and produce heavy rainfall, gusty winds and frequent lightning.

The pattern is changing, but it is not yet quiet.

Heatwave impacts across Europe

The main impacts from the current European heatwave include:

• France reporting 1,000 preliminary excess deaths, mostly among older people.
• At least 191 million people forecast to experience temperatures of at least 35 degrees Celsius in Europe on Sunday.
• Spain preparing for renewed intense heat, with Seville, Spain, forecast near 42 degrees Celsius.
• Germany reporting at least seven swimming-related deaths over the weekend.
• Kubschuetz, Germany, recording a night that did not fall below 29.4 degrees Celsius.
• Preliminary all-time temperature records set in Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
• Heavy thunderstorms expected as the most extreme heat begins to wane over the weekend.