Extreme Heat

Extreme heat refers to weather conditions in which air temperatures are significantly higher than average for a given location and time of year, reaching levels that can pose serious risks to human health, infrastructure and ecosystems. It may occur during heatwaves or as isolated periods of unusually high temperatures and is often intensified by factors such as high humidity, urban heat island effects and persistent atmospheric patterns. Extreme heat increases the likelihood of heat-related illness and mortality, strains energy and water systems, and can exacerbate drought and wildfire risk.

Image: Close up on thermometer showing high temperature
Europe swelters as heatwave moves east, excess deaths riseNews

Europe swelters as heatwave moves east, excess deaths rise

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Europe's deadly heatwave pushed east Sunday with hundreds of millions still sweltering across the continent despite fleeting relief from…
SourceSourceJune 28, 2026 Full article
Image; Stunning daylight shot capturing the Eiffel Tower with clear blue skies in Paris
Europe swelters under record-breaking heatwaveNews

Europe swelters under record-breaking heatwave

Paris, France | AFP Europe struggled to cope with a record-breaking heatwave on Wednesday, with at least 94 million people expected to experience temperatures above 35…
SourceSourceJune 24, 2026 Full article
Image: white wall fan turned on near white window blinds
Major power outage in France as Europe wilts under record heatNews

Major power outage in France as Europe wilts under record heat

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Europe braced Wednesday for another day of a sweltering heatwave that has smashed records, left tens of thousands of…
SourceSourceJune 24, 2026 Full article
Image: Beach, People, Heatwave
Europe heatwave closes schools, threatens healthNews

Europe heatwave closes schools, threatens health

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Workers stewed at their posts and children stayed home from school on Tuesday as a choking early-summer heatwave smothered…
SourceSourceJune 23, 2026 Full article
Image: Fig. 2 - Frequency distribution of feels-like temperatures (UTCI) for each continent and increase from the 1970s to the last 10 years
Dangerous ‘heat stress’ has surged worldwide, study showsNews

Dangerous ‘heat stress’ has surged worldwide, study shows

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk The number of people exposed to dangerous heat stress worldwide has risen sharply over the last half century propelled…
SourceSourceJune 22, 2026 Full article
Image: a bird sitting on top of a bird bath
From birds to fish, how extreme heat causes wildlife to sufferFactsNews

From birds to fish, how extreme heat causes wildlife to suffer

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Like humans, wildlife is increasingly vulnerable as climate change fuels longer and more intense heatwaves, disrupting feeding and breeding,…
SourceSourceJune 21, 2026 Full article
Image: Aerial view of a modern building with a lush vertical garden facade
South-facing green walls reduce indoor temperatures during heatwavesScience

South-facing green walls reduce indoor temperatures during heatwaves

Study finds vertical greenery can improve thermal comfort in buildings while also benefiting outdoor conditions during extreme heat Summary: Building design choices can play a…
SourceSourceJune 15, 2026 Full article
Image: SWOT
Scientists warn of record heat, threats to climate monitoringNews

Scientists warn of record heat, threats to climate monitoring

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Planetary heating is intensifying and key climate indicators are deteriorating, top scientists said Thursday, warning that funding decisions affecting…
SourceSourceJune 11, 2026 Full article
Image: map - Average daily surface air temperature anomaly for (left) 11-19 May 2026 and (right) 21–30 May 2026 relative to the corresponding average for the period 1991-2020 (s. hottest May)
World sees second hottest May as Europe faces ‘new normal’: EU monitorNews

World sees second hottest May as Europe faces ‘new normal’: EU monitor

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk The world experienced its second-hottest May on record, with Europe baking under an unusually early heatwave as climate extremes…
SourceSourceJune 10, 2026 Full article
Image: Polar bear at sunset on ice
Climate Science Digest: June 9, 2026Science

Climate Science Digest: June 9, 2026

Explore the latest insights from top science journals in the Muser Press roundup (June 9, 2026), featuring impactful research on climate change challenges. In brief:…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskJune 9, 2026 Full article
Image: Hajj, pilgrims, Kaaba Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Climate change is extending dangerous heat exposure during HajjClimate

Climate change is extending dangerous heat exposure during Hajj

Survivability limits exceeded during the 2024 Hajj Dangerous heat is extending beyond the summer months Heat and humidity exceeded physiological survivability limits during parts of…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskMay 29, 2026 Full article
Image: WMO 2026 Calendar Competition
Temperatures likely to remain at record levels in 2026-2030: UNNews

Temperatures likely to remain at record levels in 2026-2030: UN

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Muser NewsDeskEl Niño effect on 2027 1.3 °C to 1.9 °C range Arctic heat warning Global average temperatures are likely to…
SourceSourceMay 28, 2026 Full article
Image: People cool off beside the Trocadéro fountains in Paris during a hot summer day
Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, Ireland, France and SpainNewsFacts

Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, Ireland, France and Spain

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Forecasters in Europe warned Tuesday of exceptional heat as record temperatures driven by a "heat dome" push temperatures…
SourceSourceMay 26, 2026 Full article
Image: Caribbean seashore
Difficult to tally Latin American heat-related deaths: reportNews

Difficult to tally Latin American heat-related deaths: report

Brasília, Brazil | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Heatwaves and other extreme weather ravaged Latin America and the Caribbean last year, but tallying the death toll from…
SourceSourceMay 18, 2026 Full article
Image: Women standing outdoors in a sun-exposed rural area in Sindh, Pakistan, with dry ground and bright midday light
Extreme heat linked to low birth weight in PakistanClimate

Extreme heat linked to low birth weight in Pakistan

Exposure to extreme heat conditions is resulting in more babies being born with low birth weight, according to a new study involving Adelaide University researchers.…
SourceSourceApril 2, 2026 Full article
Image: seashore, ocean waves at sunset
Planet trapped record heat in 2025: UNFactsNews

Planet trapped record heat in 2025: UN

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Muser NewsDesk The amount of heat trapped by the Earth reached record levels in 2025, with the consequences of such warming…
SourceSourceMarch 23, 2026 Full article
Image: Sunset at the sisters in Monument Valley, USA (s. heatwave, record)
Record-breaking heatwave grips western USNews

Record-breaking heatwave grips western US

Los Angeles, United States | AFP A punishing heatwave was gripping the western United States on Thursday, with parts of the region logging record temperatures even…
SourceSourceMarch 20, 2026 Full article
Image: tropical rainforest
Many Amazon insects may face lethal heat as the climate warmsScience

Many Amazon insects may face lethal heat as the climate warms

Up to half of the insects in the Amazon region could be exposed to life-threatening heat levels due to progressive, anthropogenic global warming. This is…
SourceSourceMarch 5, 2026 Full article
Image: Elephants under a cloudy sky (s. global temperatures)
El Niño return in 2026 may drive higher global temperaturesClimate

El Niño return in 2026 may drive higher global temperatures

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk The warming El Niño weather phenomenon could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights. There…
SourceSourceMarch 2, 2026 Full article
Image: Man cycling outdoors with his bike and helmet
Tour de France heat stress risk rises as climate warmsClimate

Tour de France heat stress risk rises as climate warms

An analysis of 50 years of climate data shows that the race has so far avoided the most extreme conditions, although the risk is steadily…
SourceSourceFebruary 24, 2026 Full article
Image: Big Ben and Westminster Bridge at sunset, London, UK
Tenfold rise in extreme heat across Europe linked to climate changeClimate

Tenfold rise in extreme heat across Europe linked to climate change

In a new study, climate researcher Gottfried Kirchengast and his team have developed a new method for computing the hazards from extreme events Summary: Extreme…
SourceSourceFebruary 23, 2026 Full article
Hot day, Climate change, Global warming image (s. heatwave)
World not ready for rise in extreme heat, scientists sayClimate

World not ready for rise in extreme heat, scientists say

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Nearly 3.8 billion people could face extreme heat by 2050 and while tropical countries will bear the brunt cooler…
SourceSourceJanuary 26, 2026 Full article
Image: clouds gather over a rugged desert landscape
Ancient global warming shows rainfall became more intense and less regularClimate

Ancient global warming shows rainfall became more intense and less regular

'Proxies' in geologic record show rainfall was more intense, but less regular during the Paleogene Summary: Ancient global warming offers important clues about how rainfall…
SourceSourceJanuary 11, 2026 Full article
Image: Earth
Regional temperature records broken across the world in 2025FactsNews

Regional temperature records broken across the world in 2025

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDeskRecords shattered in Central Asia Up to 1.5 °C hotter in the Sahel Scorching summer in Europe Central Asia, the…
SourceSourceDecember 31, 2025 Full article