More than 50,000 people are estimated to have died from heat in European cities this summer, making 2026 the deadliest summer for heat-related deaths in the 26 years researchers analyzed. The estimate covers 854 urban areas in 30 countries, according to CNN and Skift.
Scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine attribute about two-thirds of those deaths, more than 32,600, to the extra heat from climate change caused by burning fossil fuels. The findings come from two peer-reviewed studies in the journal Nature Health.
The numbers behind the Europe heat deaths estimate
- An estimated 50,391 excess heat deaths across 854 urban areas in the European Union, the U.K., Norway and Switzerland. Those cities are home to about 40% of the countries’ combined population.
- 32,619 of those deaths are linked to the added heat from climate change.
- Western Europe had its hottest summer on record, about 5.2 degrees Fahrenheit (2.9 degrees Celsius) above the 1991-2020 average.
- On some days, parts of Europe ran more than 21.6 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius) hotter than usual.
- Paris logged 47 days above 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), a total unmatched since records began in 1947.
The death toll is a modeled estimate, not a count of death certificates. Heat is rarely listed as an official cause of death, so researchers compared this summer’s temperatures in the 854 cities with the temperatures expected in a world without climate change, then applied established research on how heat drives daily deaths, CNN reported. That comparison allowed scientists to separate ordinary summer heat deaths from the extra toll linked to warming.
The method has a solid track record. For British heat waves in May and June, the team estimated 2,700 excess deaths, while the U.K.’s health statistics agency counted 2,800, The Associated Press reported.
How this summer compares to past heat waves
Using the same approach, the researchers estimated about 28,000 urban heat deaths in summer 2003 and about 29,000 in 2022, the previous worst years in their data, according to Skift. This summer’s toll tops both by more than 20,000. Those earlier figures cover cities only; Europe-wide studies have put the 2003 toll far higher.
The true 2026 number is likely higher, too. Unprecedented heat gripped the continent from late May until the end of August, but the study window ran from June through August, leaving out a deadly May heat wave. It also counts only the cities studied.
Southern and western Europe were hit hardest, but cooler northern countries weren’t spared. The U.K. alone saw thousands of heat deaths.
Clair Barnes, a study author and extreme weather researcher at Imperial College London, told CNN she’s confident summer 2026 was likely “the worst on record for heat-related mortality across much of Europe.” She added that “governments need to realize that without faster action and coordination, things will only get worse.”
Barnes put it bluntly: “Until we kick the fossil fuel habit, we will continue to see increasingly hot and dangerous summers.” She also reminded readers what the numbers represent: “Behind these statistics are real people whose lives were lost and real families who grieve for them.”
What it means for travelers heading to Europe
The heat disrupted travel all summer. The Louvre and Eiffel Tower cut hours or closed temporarily during heat waves in Paris, and organizers called off the Solidays music festival and the city’s Pride March, according to Skift. Paris overnight stays dropped 7.2% during the July 7-13 heat wave, though international visitor numbers held largely steady.
The studies didn’t count tourists. But Barnes told Skift that vacationers heading south may not be ready for the heat that lingered across southern and southeastern Europe. Air conditioning is also far less common across much of the continent than in the U.S., which leaves travelers and residents with fewer ways to cool off during long heat waves.
Jasper Dober, a spokesperson for HOTREC, the European hospitality trade association, told Skift that heat is a growing health and safety concern for guests and staff alike. He said cooling systems, energy-efficiency work and building renovations are a financial strain for smaller operators. Dober added that it’s too early to say whether heat will change summer 2027 bookings.
What comes next
The researchers recommend that cities set up heat-health warning systems, open public cooling spaces and adapt buildings, including adding air conditioning in public areas, according to Skift.
For travelers, heat is now part of planning a European summer trip, especially in southern and southeastern destinations where temperatures stayed high for weeks at a time.
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