More than 2,700 people are estimated to have died from heat-related causes during the record-breaking May and June 2026 heat waves in England and Wales, according to a new rapid analysis report led by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Imperial College London and the Met Office.
The analysis suggests that around 42% of these deaths were due to the additional heat caused by human-induced climate change.
Researchers estimate that about 550 heat-related deaths occurred in England and Wales during the May heat wave, which took place May 21–29, 2026, and about 2,200 during the June heat wave, from June 18 to 28, 2026.
Both heat waves broke long-standing temperature records, with highs of 35.1°C (95°F) recorded in West London in May and 37°C (99°F) in East Anglia in June. The report suggests that the heat waves were intensified by human-induced climate change, estimating that daytime maximum temperatures across England and Wales were 3°–4°C hotter than they would be without this additional warming.
Using historical mortality records and established peer-reviewed methods, this research builds on previously published research on the relationship between heat and the number of daily deaths from all causes in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland were not included in the analysis because they were not affected by temperatures as extreme as those recorded in England and Wales.
