Are Europe’s extreme summers the new normal? What the science says
Key takeaways
- WHO warns Europe must ‘plan for heat like winter flu’ as experts reveal how permanent this summer’s extreme heat is.
- Transport buckled on Sunday as temperatures hit 40C (104F) across Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland.
- Scenes like this may well be the new normal.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
WHO warns Europe must ‘plan for heat like winter flu’ as experts reveal how permanent this summer’s extreme heat is.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo People sit at the side of the Dortmund-Ems Canal in Dortmund, western Germany, on June 26, 2026, during a heatwave in Europe (AFP)By Mariem Bah Published On 3 Jul 20263 Jul 2026Temperatures in Europe hit a new high this summer, with hotter early-summer heatwaves triggering illness, deaths and the collapse of infrastructure across the continent.
Transport buckled on Sunday as temperatures hit 40C (104F) across Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. In France, days averaging 29.8C (85.6F) – spiking to 44C (111.2F) in one town – gave way to storms, leaving an estimated 1,000 excess deaths behind.