{"id":5024,"date":"2026-07-13T12:48:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T07:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5024"},"modified":"2026-07-13T12:48:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T07:48:33","slug":"more-than-2700-people-may-have-died-in-exceptional-may-and-june-heatwaves-in-england-and-wales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5024","title":{"rendered":"More than 2,700 people may have died in exceptional May and June heatwaves in England and Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-article-body=\"true\" data-body-type=\"bodyblocks\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">More than 2,700 people may have died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the exceptionally hot weather in May and June, experts&#8217; estimates suggest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The figure, from a team at Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is based on what&#8217;s known about the dangers of extreme heat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Most deaths will have occurred in the June heatwave, they say &#8211; the <a data-ylk=\"slk:warmest June on record;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/weather\/articles\/cjdg98g8lg8o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">warmest June on record<\/a> in England, when temperatures hit 37.7C (99.9F) at Lingwood, Norfolk, smashing the previous high of 35.6C set in 1957.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A rare <a data-ylk=\"slk:red heat alert;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.metoffice.gov.uk\/about-us\/news-and-media\/media-centre\/weather-and-climate-news\/2026\/red-extreme-heat-warning-in-force-as-record-breaking-june-temperatures-forecast-\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">red heat alert<\/a> was issued for parts of England and Wales at the time, warning even healthy people of the significant risk to life.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Silent killer<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The study estimates that around 550 people died as a result of the heat between 21 and 29 May, and nearly 2,200 died between 18 and 28 June in England and Wales.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">May temperatures hit a new UK high of 35.1C at Kew Gardens on May 26 \u2013 a significant increase on the previous high mark of 32.8C, which had been set back in 1922 and equalled in 1944.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Both heatwaves were caused by a &#8220;heat dome&#8221; &#8211; a stalled area of high pressure that trapped hot air over the region, say experts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The heat dome was made worse by human-induced climate change, the researchers say. This has warmed the planet by around 1.4C since pre-industrial times and scientists believe it added between 3 and 4C to the maximum temperatures recorded in May and June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Hot tropical nights added to the sweltering conditions, offering little respite.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Many UK homes are not built to cope, leaving people vulnerable to prolonged, high temperatures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Heat puts immense physical strain on the body, made worse if you are dehydrated, with the heart pumping harder and faster to cool you off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Babies and older people are among those most at risk of harm, as well as those with existing health conditions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It can lead to more heart attacks, strokes and other potentially fatal emergencies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Intense heat can affect anyone, including fit and healthy people, and is dubbed a &#8216;silent killer&#8217; because early symptoms are easily overlooked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">And when the hot air is very wet or humid, like it was in June, it&#8217;s more difficult for the body to cool down through sweating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Prof Fredi Otto, an expert in climate science at Imperial who was involved in the research, told the BBC&#8217;s Today Programme: &#8220;Don&#8217;t underestimate the risks. Just because you&#8217;re fit and healthy, you&#8217;re not safe.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A graphic showing the differences between heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Heat exhaustion symptoms are listed as: feeling faint or dizzy; excessive sweating; clammy skin; nausea or vomiting, and muscle cramps. Heatstroke symptoms are: feeling confused; not sweating; a body temperature above 40C with hot with dry skin; nausea or vomiting; may lose consciousness or experience convulsions or seizures.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"844\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/466a80ab01db0f5c0fbf0c556de174208bca064de036059b0e7ee556bbd036d0\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fbbc_us_articles_995%2F945d399412a38f44e92bf6bbe3d00417\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><default:path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/default:svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Heatwaves could become more frequent<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The study uses death records from previous years to model or estimate how many there might have been in May and June 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It makes assumptions about how badly people were affected by the heat, so the findings may not play out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">One of the researchers, Dr Clair Barnes, who is an expert in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London, said: &#8220;If by putting out these estimates we highlight to people how dangerous it is and they change their behaviour next time there&#8217;s a heatwave and our estimates turn out to be high, I will be thrilled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;These are big numbers and we don&#8217;t want to see this many people dying.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Experts thought 2025 was going to be a very bad year for heat-related deaths, but the numbers who died turned out to be <a data-ylk=\"slk:much lower than expected;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cy91xqxn2jdo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">much lower than expected<\/a> &#8211; roughly half the 3,039 predicted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Heat health alerts, alongside action taken across the NHS and care system are likely to have reduced the impact, the UKHSA said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Some of the researchers believe, on current trajectories, heat-related deaths in parts of northern Europe could begin to rival cold-related ones within a couple of decades \u2013 though they stress that outcome depends heavily on how fast the world cuts climate emissions and how well countries adapt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Heatwaves are expected to become more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting the more greenhouse gases are emitted.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Your Voice banner image. Your Voice is written in white against a purple background.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"158\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/23235c041016d66d4ab3f4e4744116ffc0b70517eecc02372c4679ff9f2edb98\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fbbc_us_articles_995%2Fb3caf910944ffa1a76007be85ac02cb8\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><default:path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/default:svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Thin, green banner promoting the Future Earth newsletter with text saying, &quot;The world's biggest climate news in your inbox every week&quot;. There is also a graphic of an iceberg overlaid with a green circular pattern.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"158\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/9aab4ab60929502c0c8affde93cfa1e3a3a7bea5bf30f9ef2d925cdf219a62f0\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fbbc_us_articles_995%2F7e9e6b972e8ce6dee009267dd1286e25\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><default:path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/default:svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/newsletters\/zdsgqyc?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter<\/a> to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC&#8217;s Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? <a data-ylk=\"slk:Sign up to our international newsletter here;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/cloud.email.bbc.com\/FutureEarth_Newsletter_Signup\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up to our international newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 2,700 people may have died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the exceptionally hot weather in May and June, experts&#8217; estimates suggest. The figure, from a team at Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is based on what&#8217;s known about the dangers&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/cbae8d0ce3e6591f2733d082009016e3bfdbfc967a91016ec229dcdb2fc04d3f\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w1024_h576;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fbbc_us_articles_995%2F64f68d93b7ec1b82597074ef63dcf9ba","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}