The World Health Organization issued a stark warning Tuesday that Europe may be heading into even more dangerous conditions, with a fresh and intense heatwave developing over the Atlantic Ocean.
Temperatures across Portugal and southern Spain are forecast to soar to 43 degrees Celsius — roughly 109 degrees Fahrenheit — within the next several days.
On Monday, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge convened an emergency conference call with officials from 41 European nations, along with representatives from the European Commission and various civil society organizations. The purpose was to evaluate what was learned from the recent heatwave and how to prepare for the next one.
Kluge noted in an official statement that nations which already had heat-health action plans in place were able to respond more swiftly and protect their residents more effectively during the June heatwave. Despite this, he pointed out that fewer than half of WHO’s European member states currently have such a plan.
Climate scientists have described the June 20–28 heatwave as the worst on record for Europe. The extreme temperatures disrupted power generation, caused widespread infrastructure damage, and placed enormous strain on healthcare systems. Scientists added that climate change almost certainly played a role in driving that extreme heat.
Preliminary data from France, the Netherlands, and Belgium show a combined 3,700 deaths beyond normal levels during that period, though authorities cautioned those figures could climb higher as more data becomes available. Temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of Europe during the event.
Kluge also raised concerns that vulnerable populations — including nursing home residents, homeless individuals, and elderly people living in social isolation — were still not being consistently reached with assistance across the continent.
“The work now is on two fronts: fixing what failed in recent weeks before the next heatwave hits and building the kind of health systems that don’t just respond to extreme heat but are ready for it,” Kluge said.
