Excess deaths caused by heatwaves this year 'nearly double' 2025 figure
The agency previously warned that rising temperatures may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.
There have been almost double the number of excess deaths caused by heatwaves so far this year than in last summer, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.
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A new report estimates there were 2,877 heat-associated deaths during the heatwaves in May and June this year, almost double the figure reported from the UK heatwaves in June to August last year.
An estimated 753 deaths were associated with the May heatwave from May 24-27, and a further 2,124 with the June heatwave between June 21 and 28.
“While these figures remain interim, they are already approaching the annual record reported by UKHSA in 2022,” the report said.
Read more: Half of England in drought as fresh heatwave sees temperatures soar to 35C
Read more: Four areas in England given 'amber' warning in 35C heatwave
The figures come following heat-health alerts for the East Midlands, the East, South East and London that were in place until 9am on Thursday.
The agency previously warned that rising temperatures may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.
The Met Office has said a cooler change was on the way, with temperatures expected to fall much closer to average across much of the UK.
Swathes of England are suffering from “flash drought” as a result of very low rainfall and high temperatures, the Environment Agency has said.
The government agency said seven areas of central, eastern and southern England – around half of the country – have been declared as officially in drought.
The areas are East Anglia, Hertfordshire and the whole of London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex – covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
This month could end up as the driest July on record, with England having just 7% of expected rainfall, and southern England seeing just 1%.
As a result, much of the country is experiencing a flash drought – one that has come on quickly despite a very wet winter, as a result of dry weather in the spring and summer and a series of heatwaves that put pressure on resources.
The announcement was made as parts of the UK experience their fourth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures reaching into the 30s in some places.
There were record-breaking heatwaves in May and June, and a third earlier this month, which have hit agriculture, rivers and the natural environment, prompted widespread wildfires and led to hosepipe bans for millions of people.
The Met Office announced that a new June temperature record of 38C has been confirmed, up from the 37.7C provisionally announced.
The UK and England record, set on June 26, came from the same station – Lingwood in Norfolk – as the provisional reading, the Met Office said.
Almost a third of England – including parts of the South East, Midlands and North West – is in “prolonged dry weather” status, with only the North East and Yorkshire still seeing “normal” conditions for the time of year.
It is the second year in a row with parts of the country suffering from drought, despite winter rainfall replenishing reservoirs and groundwater and helping the country through a dry spring without major impacts, the Environment Agency said.
Responding to news that there have been almost double the number of excess deaths caused by heatwaves so far this year than last summer, Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Denis Fernando, said: “The climate crisis is making heatwaves more frequent, more intense and more deadly.
"Without urgent action to cut emissions and make the nation more resilient to extreme weather, the human cost will keep rising.
“Nearly three thousand people have already tragically lost their lives in UK heatwaves this year, with babies, older people and disabled people among those most at risk.
"At the same time, half of England is in drought and wildfires are devastating parts of Europe.
“This mustn’t become the new normal. Andy Burnham must make tackling the climate crisis a top priority by strengthening plans to protect communities from increasingly extreme weather while accelerating efforts to cut the emissions that are driving it.
"And this must include rejecting new gas and oil drilling developments such as Jackdaw and Rosebank.”