2003 European heat wave

The 2003 European heat wave was an exceptionally hot period that affected much of Western and Southern Europe in the summer of 2003. It brought record temperatures in several countries, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, where a new national record was set in August. It was most deadly in France, where hospitals were overwhelmed, and tens of thousands of people died across the continent, mainly elderly people. The summer also brought drought, forest fires and rapid melting of Alpine glaciers. The disaster led several countries to introduce heat-warning systems and emergency plans, and scientists have often cited it as an example of the extreme heat that climate change makes more likely.

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