Europe’s Dangerous Heatwave Shifts East As Hospitals Face Surge In Critical Emergencies

Europe’s intense heatwave is moving east after days of dangerous temperatures in France, Spain and the UK, with Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and parts of central Europe now preparing for extreme conditions. Forecasters have warned that temperatures could touch 40C in parts of Germany, while the Czech Republic has placed large areas under an extreme weather warning.

The shift comes as France raises its health alert to the highest level, after hospitals and emergency services reported rising pressure from heat-related illness. The episode has again underlined how Europe’s summers are changing, with higher night temperatures, strained health systems, disrupted travel and growing risks for elderly people, outdoor workers, children and those with existing medical conditions.

France raises health alert as hospitals face heat pressure

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that the country’s Orsan health emergency plan would move to level three. The step is intended to increase hospital staffing, improve coordination and protect vulnerable residents during the prolonged hot spell. Health authorities said emergency departments were already seeing the effects of several consecutive days of unusually high temperatures.

Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said deaths linked to extreme heat were being seen not only among older residents but also among “young people who suffer cardiac arrests”. In Paris, the ambulance service recorded four times more cardiac arrests than usual over a 24-hour period, though officials said confirmed national death figures were not yet available.

Paris officials also urged residents to reduce physical activity while the city remained under red alert. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said people should not assume they were immune to heat stress, especially younger adults exercising outdoors. “It’s fine to take a couple of days off from exercising,” he said, after describing joggers seen on the streets in the evening heat as irresponsible.

The warning has been reinforced by several serious incidents involving children. A three-year-old child was found dead in a car in the Paris region, days after two young children were found dead in a family car in Carpentras, southern France. Officials have repeatedly warned that parked vehicles can become fatal within minutes during extreme heat.

In Rennes, the head of an accident and emergency department, Professor Louis Soulas, linked the deaths of five or six people found at home to the extreme temperatures. He said emergency teams checked on them after they did not answer welfare calls. Rennes recorded 40.6C on Monday, before breaking that mark with 41C the next day.

Records fall as heatwave spreads across Europe

Météo-France said France recorded its hottest day of the episode on Wednesday, with the average minimum temperature overnight reaching 22C. Nantes in north-western France recorded 27.2C overnight, a level that gives the body little chance to recover. Such warm nights are among the most dangerous features of heatwaves, especially in cities.

The heat has also disrupted public life. French teachers’ unions have called for strike action, citing unsafe conditions in classrooms. Three nuclear plants in France have gone offline due to the heat. Western areas of the country are also bracing for severe thunderstorms, with gusts of up to 110 km/h expected along the Atlantic coast.

Spain, which has endured some of the highest readings of the event, is expected to see some relief as cooler Atlantic air moves in. The country recorded 45.1C in Andújar in southern Spain on Monday, among its highest June temperatures. Forecasters still expect parts of Spain to reach 38C to 39C before conditions ease.

Germany is now at the centre of concern. The DWD weather service said large parts of the country were experiencing heat stress. Temperatures may reach 40C in western and south-western regions on Thursday and across wider areas on Friday. In Bad Bergzabern, the overnight temperature did not fall below 26.2C, equalling a national heat record.

Neighbouring countries are also tightening warnings. Luxembourg recorded 38.3C in Wormeldingen, its highest June temperature, and extended a red alert for extreme thermal stress until Saturday night. Switzerland placed much of the north and south under maximum weather alert and warned of a significant drought situation.

Travel, events and museums affected by extreme heat

The heatwave is now causing disruption beyond hospitals and schools. Hamburg’s half marathon has been cancelled, while Deutsche Bahn is allowing free ticket cancellations for passengers who do not want to travel during the extreme heat. Czech Railways has also advised passengers to consider postponing non-essential journeys.

In Austria, temperatures could approach 40C in Vienna over the weekend. The Netherlands will bring a code red into force in eight of its 12 provinces, with localised areas in the east possibly reaching 39C. The UK’s Met Office has also extended its extreme temperature warning for parts of London and south-eastern England.

Italy is facing a later peak. Northern regions could reach 40C on Monday, with night temperatures in some areas remaining close to 29C. Florence’s Uffizi museum has stopped ticket sales until 28 June, allowing only visitors with existing bookings, after its air conditioning system struggled under the combined pressure of crowds and heat.

United Nations climate change chief Simon Stiell said the heatwave had “the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it”, calling for faster renewable energy deployment, forest protection and stronger climate resilience. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating at about twice the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.

The immediate focus for authorities is reducing preventable harm as the heat shifts east. Health agencies are urging people to check on vulnerable neighbours, avoid exercise during peak heat, keep children out of parked cars and delay non-essential travel where warnings are in force. With warmer nights now a central risk, relief may remain limited even after sunset.