More than 2,700 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes during the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales, the Met Office said today. Of those, it’s estimated that 42% died as a result of the extra heat caused by human-induced warming, the forecaster also said, adding that climate change added between 3-4°C to maximum temperatures.
The impact of climate changes were studied by researchers from Imperial College London, the Met Office, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine by using historical mortality records and established peer-reviewed methods to model fatalities during both heat spikes.
According to the studies key findings, about 550 people are estimated to have died due to heat related causes during the May heatwave (21-29 May 2026) and about 2,200 during the June heatwave (18-28 June 2026) in England and Wales.
Approximately 59% of the deaths in May, and 38% in June are attributable to the additional heat added by human-caused climate change, the study also said.
Dr. Clair Barnes, research associate in Extreme Weather and Climate Change at the Imperial College in London, said: “We all love the sun, but people need to be aware that we are now seeing dangerous climate-change fuelled heat that is claiming lives, disrupting schools and hospitals and shutting down transport and infrastructure.
“It’s time we woke up to the fact that we now live in a country with dangerously hot summers. To protect people during future extremes, we must urgently adapt to the reality of the climate we now have, and double down on global efforts to reach net zero emissions to stop this from getting worse.”
Both heatwaves so far caused record-breaking temperatures due to the impacts of climate change. The national record for May was broken when 35.1°C was recorded in West London, and for three consecutive days temperatures soared to a a record-breaking 37°C in East Anglia in June.
Parts of the UK, however, may get a “brief respite” from the scorching weather, even though the heatwave is set to continue.
The Met Office said it will be windy in some places on Monday with cooler temperatures in the east, but warm temperatures in the west.
Parts of the country might be hit with a little rain, but the forecaster said the scorching conditions experienced by much of the UK are due to last into the coming week.
Meteorologist Honor Criswick said: “For the time being it looks like the heatwave is set to continue, but depending on where you are, there may be a brief respite in the heat to come.”