Study: Heatwaves Killed More than 2500 in England and Wales

At least 2,700 people died in England and Wales in May and June as a result of heatwaves, according to a study published on Monday.

The estimate was made by experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who used weather data, climate models and previous studies of excess mortality during heatwaves.

The UK and much of Europe experienced two unprecedented heatwaves in May and June. England set new monthly records, with temperatures reaching 35.1°C in May and 37.7°C in June. "These were extreme heatwaves for the UK and across western Europe, and particularly exceptional in their timing and how early they occurred," Mark McCarthy, head of science for the Met Office's climate team, told Phys.org.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will publish its official estimate of heat-related deaths in the coming weeks, based on data from death registers. Lea Berrang Ford, head of the UKHSA's Centre for Climate and Health Security, said the models in the new study "help illustrate the scale of the risk from extreme heat and the growing threat that climate change poses to our well-being". The study estimated that 550 people died from heat-related causes between 21 and 29 May, and nearly 2,200 from 18 to 28 June