Overview
- The World Health Organization reported more than 1,300 excess deaths in Europe in the most recent week linked to extreme temperatures, a figure described as provisional by officials.
- Italy’s Ministry of Health expanded its highest 'bollino rosso' heat alerts to about 25 cities by June 30 while local authorities in Genoa confirmed two elderly heat-related deaths in hospital.
- Hospitals and emergency services are under heavy strain, with Lombardy reporting over 11,000 emergency‑department accesses in a single day and ambulance call volumes rising sharply.
- Meteorologists forecast a rapid change starting around July 1 as a front from northern Europe meets very warm, humid air, raising the risk of frequent violent thunderstorms, large hail and downbursts.
- Experts and WHO leaders say the sequence of extreme heat followed by intense storms highlights adaptation gaps in buildings, workplaces and health systems and could, in a provisional estimate, produce several thousand additional premature deaths across June and July if conditions persist.