PTI
London
The UK’s heatwave related deaths are set for record highs this summer, with health authorities reporting a near doubling of figures in just two months compared to the previous year on Thursday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said its “rapid early assessment” indicates there were 2,877 heat-associated deaths during notable periods of hot weather in May and June, almost double the 1,504 reported annually for 2025, with the data coming at a time when authorities declared a drought for half of England this week.
While these figures remain interim as there have been further heatwaves over the course of the ongoing summer months in the country, they are already approaching the annual record reported by UKHSA in 2022.
“Based on the interim data, it is likely that 2026 could see the highest number of heat-associated deaths on record, surpassing the 2,985 recorded in 2022,” the UKHSA said.
Dr Ross Thompson, Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist at UKHSA and author of the interim report, said: “These figures highlight the significant danger that very hot weather can pose to people’s health. This is particularly true for those who are more vulnerable including older adults and people with underlying medical conditions.”
“While the figures are interim, they suggest that, if we experience more periods of hot weather this summer, we could see the highest number of heat-associated deaths on record,” he added.
An estimated 753 deaths were associated with the May heat episode and a further 2,124 with the June heatwave in the UK.
The data comes as authorities declared a drought for half of England this week, following the persistent high temperatures and record-low rainfall. Many regions of the country are also under a hosepipe ban to conserve water during exceptionally dry weather since earlier this year.
The UK’s June heatwave lasted for eight days and triggered a red heat-health alert. This was only the second time the highest level of alert has been issued in England, reflecting the exceptional temperatures recorded.
Both May and June also broke Met Office monthly temperature records for England with 31.5 degrees Celsius recorded on May 26 and 37.7 degrees Celsius recorded on June 26.
The health agency said its findings demonstrate the importance of the heat-health alerting system, delivered in partnership with the Meteorological (Met) Office, which provides early warning when temperatures are likely to have significant impacts on health and wellbeing.
Heatwaves occurring earlier in the season can have a greater impact due to people, communities and services having less time to adapt to the warmer conditions, it cautioned.
“The sweltering heat has had a serious impact this summer on people’s health and on our National Health Service,” said UK Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper.
“For many years, we have been used to winter pressures in our NHS and the need to support those who are vulnerable in the coldest weather. But now we are seeing the summer heat have an increasingly serious impact on the health of thousands of people, and on the pressures facing our NHS too,” she said.
Not just the UK, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), June saw much of western Europe experiencing a record-breaking heatwave and marine heatwaves across the western Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coasts.
June 2026 was the hottest June recorded for western Europe and the second warmest globally, driven by the highest sea surface temperatures (SSTs) on record for the month, WMO said.
