WHO Rates Europe Heatwave Moderate Risk as Impacts May Still Rise

The World Health Organization’s Europe office has classified the region’s continuing 2026 heatwave as a moderate public-health risk with high confidence, warning that deaths, hospital demand and pressure on essential services may continue to rise.

In a rapid risk assessment published July 23, WHO/Europe said preliminary mortality surveillance estimated more than 14,000 excess deaths during the two-week peak-temperature period. The figure is an estimate for a defined monitoring window, not a final count of deaths directly caused by heat.

The assessment said the event has affected large parts of Western, Central and Southern Europe, with some countries recording temperatures above 40°C. It also warned that health impacts are uneven and can be worse in dense urban areas where nighttime cooling is limited, housing is poorly adapted, and access to water or other cooling measures is limited.

A preparedness gap across Europe

WHO/Europe said fewer than half of the region’s Member States have a national heat-health action plan. That does not mean every country without a national plan lacks all protections; local, regional or sector-specific measures may still exist. But the gap leaves countries unevenly prepared for a hazard that is becoming more frequent and intense.

A functioning heat-health plan connects weather alerts to specific public-health actions. Those actions can include mortality and illness surveillance, hospital and long-term-care preparedness, worker protections, cooling spaces, drinking-water access, public communication and direct outreach to people who may not receive or act on warnings.

WHO’s July 7 statement pointed to different approaches across the region. Italy’s mortality surveillance system operates in 45 cities. Spain worked with media partners to improve heat-risk communication, while Austria activated an updated plan and workplace heat-protection regulations. France used cross-sector coordination, and North Macedonia worked with Red Cross and Red Crescent teams to reach people without permanent housing.

Heat is also a labor, housing and infrastructure problem

WHO identifies older adults, people with chronic cardiovascular, respiratory, renal or diabetes-related conditions, outdoor workers, migrants, refugees, people experiencing homelessness and socially isolated residents as groups facing elevated or specific risks.

The risk also depends on where people live and work. Poor-quality or overcrowded housing can trap heat. Outdoor and manual workers may face prolonged exposure without adequate water, rest or protection. Hospitals and care facilities can experience higher admissions while their own cooling, power, information-technology and staffing systems come under strain.

The WHO assessment also describes wider effects on energy, water, transportation, food systems, schools and social services. Heat can soften road surfaces, disrupt rail infrastructure, increase electricity demand and complicate access to health care or cooling centers.

What to watch next

WHO/Europe’s July 23 assessment says mortality and health-system pressure may continue to rise as the event develops, particularly in areas where extreme temperatures persist. The agency recommends that countries strengthen heat-health plans at national, regional and local levels and link them to labor, housing, transport, energy, water and emergency-management systems.

For governments, the test is whether temporary alerts become permanent preparedness. For the public, the most useful signals will be heat-health warnings, workplace guidance, hospital notices, cooling-center information and outreach to people at higher risk.

Sources

• WHO/Europe rapid risk assessment: Heatwave, July 23, 2026
• Reuters: Europe recorded about 10,000 excess deaths during late-June heatwave