2003 European Heatwave

August 1, 2003

Record summer heat across Europe; France and Italy were worst affected.

Figure uncertainty: Excess-mortality studies estimate ~70,000 across Europe.

Background from Wikipedia

The 2003 European heat wave saw the hottest summer recorded in Europe since at least 1540. Spain, France, and Italy were hit especially hard. The heat wave led to health crises in several countries and combined with drought to create a crop shortfall in parts of Southern Europe. The death toll has been estimated at more than 70,000.

From the Wikipedia article “2003 European heatwave”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia's figures may differ from the sources cited on this page.

Sources & references

EEA / peer-reviewed excess mortality studies

Impact figures

Fatalities	70,000
Economic damage	$13,000,000,000 (nominal)
Region	Western Europe

Figures per cited sources; estimates for older events vary.

Icon = what happened · ring colour = how serious: Extreme Severe Moderate Minor

Loading live data… · Marker positions are approximate; severity is labelled in each popup. Sources: USGS, GDACS, NASA EONET, NOAA/NWS, EMSC.