More than 2,700 have died in the UK linked to the May, June heatwave | Weather News

The UK has experienced the hottest temperatures this year, with temperatures in England reaching 35.1C in May and 37.7C in June.

More than 2,700 deaths in England and Wales have been linked to unprecedented heatwaves in the United Kingdom in May and June, according to new research.

There were 550 people who died from the heat between May 21 and 29, and about 2,200 people died between June 18 and 28, scientists estimate in the study published on Monday.

Researchers from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used climate data, climate models and studies on excess mortality during the season to arrive at their estimates.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it will publish its estimates of heat-related deaths in the coming weeks, based on recent heat-related deaths.

Climate change is driving the temperature

The UK and much of Europe has already experienced two heat waves this year, with temperatures in England reaching 35.1C (95.2F) in May and 37.7C (99.9F) in June.

“It was very warm in the UK, and across much of Western Europe, and it’s very different from the timing and the way it happened earlier in the year,” said Mark McCarthy, science manager for the Met’s weather team.

Scientists have emphasized the role of climate change in causing extreme and frequent heat waves.

They estimated that daytime temperatures were up to 4C (7.2F) higher than they would have been without global warming.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the British government’s advisory body on climate change, warned last year that the UK was “unprepared” to deal with the effects of climate change.

Lea Berrang Ford at the UKHSA Center for Climate and Health Security said the study, released on Monday, “helps to show the extent of the risk from extreme temperatures and the extent of the risk of climate change to our health”.

In a report published in May, it was estimated that 92 percent of British homes could be too hot by 2050.

It said the government should set limits on the temperature of workplaces, and invest in air conditioning in public buildings such as hospitals and schools in preparation for hot weather.

The inquiry into heat-related deaths in the UK comes as data revealed that more than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe during the rainy season in the west of the continent at the end of June.

EuroMOMO, supported by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization, said the majority of those who died were aged 65 and over, with 9,000 excess deaths in that age group.

Scientists compiled national death toll figures from 27 European countries in June and concluded that, excluding other known factors such as the COVID-19 epidemic, the heatwave should have caused 10,650 deaths between June 22 and 28.