This summer has been off to a particularly hot—and deadly—start.
In June and early July, severe heat waves blanketed Europe and the United States, exposing millions of people to dangerously high temperatures and humidity. The French government recorded more than 2,000 excess deaths during a particularly scorching week at the end of June—likely still an underestimate, according to officials.
The rest of the continent is still tallying excess deaths that occurred during the heat waves. Meanwhile, in the U.S., a sweltering Fourth of July holiday sent many to emergency rooms across the country, with New Jersey alone estimating 29 deaths last week.
Healthcare facilities are scrambling to keep up with an inundation of patients on both continents as medical professionals urge people to be aware of the early signs of heat stress and how to combat it. Speaking about the European heat wave at the end of June, the World Health Organization warned that it is only a “dress rehearsal” for the increasingly sizzling summers that climate change will bring.
Grim Health Impacts of Summer Heat Waves
