Summer 2022 saw Britain’s deadliest EVER heatwave: 40C temperatures triggered extra 2,800 deaths

Thousands more people died this summer than expected as Britain baked in Saharan temperatures, official figures show.

A further 3,200 fatalities were recorded during the country’s five heat wave periods — which brought record temperatures as the mercury exceeded 40°C (104F).

This figure is the highest ever excess death rate during summer heatwaves since the National Heatwave Plan was introduced nearly two decades ago.

And statisticians expect it to only climb higher as the delayed death records continue to trickle in.

Nearly all fatalities were among the over-65s, demonstrating the deadly impact rising temperatures can have on high-risk groups, according to health chiefs.

Health leaders warned today that the UK will have to adapt to a safe life with even warmer summers in the future.

The data, released in a joint report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), shows the deadly effects of this summer’s scorching temperatures.

Analysis by the ONS found that 56,303 deaths occurred in England and Wales between June and August.

The figure is 3,271 (6.2 percent) more than expected — defined as the five-year average for that time of year.

The ONS thinks the true figure will be higher, as about eight percent of deaths for the summer months have yet to be recorded.

The vast majority were clustered around Britain’s five heat spells – defined as days when the average temperature in England was above 20C (68F) or when a Level 3 heat warning was issued.

Heat periods occurred from June 16 to 19, from July 10 to 25, from July 30 to August 5, from August 8 to 17 and from August 23 to 25.

The second heat wave was the deadliest, with 2,227 recorded deaths – 10.4 percent above average.

Each period of extreme heat was followed by a sharp decline in deaths.

Statisticians said this indicates a short-term shift in mortality — when deaths among the vulnerable that would happen anyway are “brought forward” in heat spells.

This year, more women (2159) than men (1,115) died during the heat wave, reversing the trend of the past five years.

And older age groups were hardest hit. About 5,000 people over 70 died during blazing days – but the total number was reduced to 3,271 as there were nearly 1,800 fewer deaths than expected among younger groups.

In the summer, maximum temperature records were broken in the UK, leading to bushfires in the UK that left villages ‘looking like war zones’.

Pressure among emergency services mounted as thousands of fires spread across the country, swimmers got into trouble and the number of accidents skyrocketed.

Passengers were trapped as trains came to a halt, hose bans were imposed across the country and water companies raised the alarm over supply concerns.

The Met Office issued a ‘red’ warning for extreme heat, while the UKHSA issued a level four heat warning – both for the first time since their introduction in 2020 and 2004 respectively.

Separate UKHSA numbers study found that there were a total of 2,803 deaths this summer than expected during the five heat wave periods.

It is the highest figure on record since the heat wave plan for England was introduced in 2004 to protect the population from heat-related damage.

The figure is slightly lower than the ONS as it does not take into account deaths among the over-65s or those that occurred in Wales and excludes Covid deaths.

It shows that in the four days from 17 to 20 July there were 1,012 additional deaths among the over-65s. These are classified as all deaths above the five-year average.

During that period, some parts of England recorded temperatures exceeding 40C (104F) for the first time and the UKHSA issued its first-ever level four heat warning.

Meanwhile, 1,458 more fatalities were recorded in that cohort from August 8 to 17.

Climate scientists advising the government have warned that heat deaths could more than double by 2050, while they expect 7,040 deaths each year during heat waves.

Isabel Oliver, Chief Scientific Officer at the UKHSA, said: ‘These estimates clearly show that high temperatures can lead to premature death for those who are vulnerable.

“There were more deaths during the hottest days of this year and a warming climate means we will have to adapt to a safe life with warmer summers in the future.

“Prolonged warm weather is especially a risk for the elderly, people with heart and lung disease or people who can’t keep themselves cool, such as people with intellectual disabilities and Alzheimer’s disease.”

Sarah Caul, head of mortality analysis at the ONS, said: ‘During the UK summer with record-breaking temperatures, there was an increase in deaths.

‘However, these peaks around the hottest days were followed by periods of below-average mortality.

“This is probably a result of short-term displacement of death, especially among older age groups, where people died a few days or weeks earlier than expected.

‘This trend is in line with what we have seen with heat wave periods in recent summers.

‘It is also true that despite peaks in death during heat waves, most days in the winter period (December to March) show a higher number of deaths than in the summer.’