England records 3,000 heat-related deaths in May-June 2026

Nearly 3,000 people in England died as a result of extreme heat during two major heatwaves in May and June this year, according to interim government data released on Thursday, July 30. The estimated 2,877 heat-associated deaths recorded for those two months alone already approaches the annual record and is nearly double the total number of such fatalities recorded for all of 2025.

The data, published by the UK Health Security Agency, stems from two distinct periods of intense heat. An estimated 753 deaths were linked to a heat episode from May 24 to 27, which was unusually early in the season. A much larger wave of approximately 2,124 deaths occurred during a prolonged eight-day heatwave from June 21 to 28. Officials stressed these are provisional figures, but they indicate a substantial public health impact, with daily deaths during the June event averaging around 266.

The scale of the early-season heat has broken records and triggered the highest level of public health alerts. The May heatwave saw temperatures reach 35.1 degrees Celsius in London, while June produced the hottest day of the month on record, with 38 degrees Celsius recorded in parts of the country. Health...