Europe faces extreme heat wave as WHO warns of deadly weeks

The World Health Organization has issued an emergency alert that Europe will endure a multi‑week heat wave with temperatures potentially reaching 43 °C in Portugal and southern Spain. WHO regional director Hans Kluge convened a teleconference with representatives from 41 European nations, the European Commission and civil‑society groups, noting that fewer than half of the countries have adequate heat‑action plans.

In the Netherlands, authorities re‑activated the National Heat Plan for seven provinces as temperatures are expected to climb to 33 °C, with high ultraviolet levels and night‑time lows only dropping to 16‑18 °C. The plan aims to protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly, patients and the homeless.

Health officials estimate that the heat wave could cause several thousand excess deaths across the continent; early data suggest around 3,700 additional fatalities in France, the Netherlands and Belgium alone. The WHO stresses the need for rapid strengthening of health‑system preparedness and targeted protection for at‑risk populations.