Europe faces new deadly heatwave

The World Health Organization warned on July 7, 2026 that Europe could face 'more deadly weeks' as another intense heatwave forms over the Atlantic. Temperatures in Portugal and southern Spain are expected to climb to 43°C. WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge held an emergency call with representatives from 41 countries, the International — European Commission, and civil society groups to discuss lessons from the June 20-28 heatwave, which experts described as the most severe recorded in Europe, causing disruption to power generation, damaging infrastructure, and overwhelming healthcare systems. France, the Netherlands, and Belgium recorded 3,700 excess deaths, with authorities warning the numbers are preliminary and could rise. Scientists said the extreme heat was almost certainly driven by climate change. Kluge noted that less than half of WHO's European member states have heat-health action plans. For Greece, the immediate outlook is hot but not yet comparable to the severe heatwave threatening Portugal and Spain; the Japan — Japan Meteorological Agency issued a yellow warning for high temperatures in Central Macedonia, and the Greece — National Observatory of Athens forecasts a hotter-than-average July.