This year, a severe heatwave shattered temperature records across Europe. An estimated 10,000 to more than 14,000 excess deaths were linked to the severe late-June 2026 heatwave alone, according to reports. The United States, too, has seen dozens of heat-related deaths during heatwaves this year.
But extreme heat is hardly a recent phenomenon. The US experienced a devastating heatwave in 1936 that reportedly killed more than 5,000 people. Other deadly heatwaves struck the country in 1901, 1993 and 1999.
