UK heatwaves May–June estimated to have killed thousands

Experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimate more than 2,700 people in the UK may have died from heat-related causes during the May–June heatwaves, with June’s 37.7C in Lingwood the hottest on record in England. May reached 35.1C at Kew Gardens. The heatwaves were driven by a stationary heat dome and amplified by human-caused climate change, with very hot nights further increasing risk. The elderly, babies and those with preexisting conditions are most vulnerable. These are modeled estimates and depend on assumptions about exposure and behavior; if adaptation improves and emissions fall, future deaths could be mitigated.