# European heatwave shifts east as Balkans face 39°C and French hospitals are overwhelmed > France 24 reported hospitals across France and southern Europe are struggling as the heat dome moved into Serbia, Bosnia and Greece; the UK logged its third consecutive day under a red heat warning; Paris Pride was postponed **Meta:** type: story · date: 2026-06-26 · heads: How Life Changes, What Broke · 11 takes · 3 lenses · 7 regions ## Summary The heat dome gripping Europe shifted eastward on June 26, pushing temperatures toward 39°C in the Balkans, including Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro. France remains under red alert in 72 of its 96 metropolitan departments, with hospitals reporting a four-fold increase in heat-related ER visits, 40 drowning deaths in the past week as people sought river relief, and 68,000 households without power after a transformer failure in Finistere. Paris Pride was postponed. The UK logged its third consecutive day under a red heat warning; Merryfield, Somerset recorded 36.7°C on June 25, a new June record. The WMO said around 150 million Europeans would experience above 35°C on Friday. ## Why it matters The eastward expansion means the first wave of extreme heat in western Europe is followed by a second episode in the Balkans, with less preparation time, fewer cooling centres, and older housing stock. French hospital data showing a four-fold jump in heat ER visits and 44 cardiac arrests in Paris in one 24-hour period is the most direct signal yet that the health system is absorbing casualties the official death count will lag by weeks. The WMO's unequivocal climate attribution closes the scientific case on what is driving the event. ## What to watch - Balkan hospital reporting: Greece, Serbia and Turkey have less heat-emergency infrastructure than western Europe. - UK temperature peak on June 26-27 and whether the third red warning results in excess mortality on a scale comparable to July 2022. - When the heat dome breaks, and whether forecasts confirm a possible third episode in early July. ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### European public broadcaster, continental coverage - **France 24** (France, en) — France 24 reported on June 26 that hospitals across France, including in Paris, were overwhelmed, with a four-fold increase in ER visits for heat-related causes nationwide and 44 cardiac arrests recorded in Paris in a single 24-hour period against a baseline below 10. Temperatures in Balkan states including Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro were forecast to reach up to 39°C, with health warnings issued for vulnerable populations. Paris Pride was postponed due to extreme heat. > "Hospitals in France and southern Europe were overwhelmed as the heatwave shifted east to the Balkans; a four-fold increase in French ER visits and Paris Pride was postponed." Source: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260626-hospitals-overwhelmed-as-europe-heatwave-shifts-east ### live coverage, breaking updates - **France 24 (live)** (France, en) — France 24 live feed tracked the postponement of Paris Pride, alcohol bans in Paris and Belgium from Friday evening, and red alert status across 72 of France's 96 metropolitan departments. France recorded 40 drowning deaths in one week as people sought relief in rivers despite authorities' warnings. > "Paris Pride postponed and alcohol bans imposed in France and Belgium as 40 people drowned in France in one week while seeking river relief from the heat." Source: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260626-live-paris-pride-europe-record-heatwave ### unlabelled - **WMO (World Meteorological Organization)** (International, en) — WMO confirmed record-breaking temperatures across Europe, noting that human-caused climate change was unequivocally responsible for the intensity of the event, and that approximately 150 million Europeans would experience temperatures above 35°C on June 26. > "WMO: approximately 150 million Europeans expected to experience temperatures above 35°C on June 26; climate change unequivocally responsible for the intensity." Source: https://wmo.int/media/news/records-fall-extreme-heat-grips-europe - **NBC News** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/europe-heatwave-france-spain-uk-record-temperatures-eiffel-tower-rcna351710 - **CNBC** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/24/france-power-outage-europe-heat-wave.html - **Al Jazeera (deaths and disruptions)** (Qatar, en) — Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/24/deaths-disruptions-across-europe-what-you-should-know-about-the-heatwave - **Euronews** (Europe, en) — Source: https://www.euronews.com/2026/06/24/red-heatwave-alerts-spread-across-europe-with-hottest-day-ever-in-france-and-40-deaths-fro - **Severe-weather.eu** (Europe, en) — Source: https://www.severe-weather.eu/global-weather/heat-dome-europe-excessive-historic-heatwave-june-july-summer-2026-mk/ - **RNZ (Radio New Zealand)** (New Zealand, en) — Source: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/618658/forty-drown-in-france-as-people-seek-relief-from-europe-s-heatwave - **Fox Weather** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/dangerous-record-shattering-heat-wave-bakes-europe - **Wikipedia (2026 European heatwaves)** (Global, en) — Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_European_heatwaves ## Across the graph - Related: [[europe-omega-heatwave-june25]], [[france-nuclear-edf-heatwave-jun25]] - Entities: Europe, France --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/europe-heatwave-east-jun26