Data files for
The Human Toll of Heat Waves: Selected Examples from Europe in Summer 2003 (table)
The Human Toll of the 2003 European Heat Wave: Comparison of 2003 and 2006 Fatality Estimates (table)
Average Global Temperature, 1880-2005, with Projection to 2010 (figure)
| Country |
Number of Fatalities |
Weather Details |
| Italy (1) |
18,257 |
Temperatures in parts of the country averaged 16 degrees Fahrenheit higher than previous year. |
| France (2) |
14,802 |
Temperatures soared to 104 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of the country; Paris temperatures were the highest since record-keeping began in 1873. |
| Germany (3*) |
7,000 |
High temperatures of up to 105.4 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest since records began in 1901, raised mortality some 10 percent. |
| Spain (3) (4) |
4,130 |
High temperatures joined with elevated ground-level ozone concentrations to exceed the European Union's health-risk threshold. |
| England and Wales (5) |
2,139 |
The first triple-digit Fahrenheit temperatures ever were recorded in London. |
| Portugal (3) |
2,099 |
Temperatures were above 104 degrees Fahrenheit throughout much of the country. |
| Netherlands (6) |
1,800 |
Temperatures ranged some 14 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal. |
| Belgium (7) |
1,250 |
Temperatures exceeded any in the Royal Meteorological Society's records dating back to 1833. |
| Switzerland (7) |
975 |
Summer 2003 was likely the warmest since 1540. |
| TOTAL OF ABOVE COUNTRIES: |
52,452 |
Europe experienced its hottest weather in at least 500 years. |
| |
Key: To convert temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 and divide by 1.8.
|
| Notes on data: |
| (1) Data are for July through September 2003. |
| (2) Data are for 1–20 August 2003. |
| (3) Data are for August 2003. |
| (4) Data for Spain are a range of 3,574–4,687 deaths. |
| (5) Data are for 4–13 August 2003. |
| (6) Data are for June through September 2003, with an estimated range of 1,400–2,200. |
| (7) Data are for June through August 2003. |
| (*) No official assessment has been made by the German government. |
| Compiled by Janet Larsen, Earth Policy Institute, October 2003, updated July 2006. |
| |
| Country |
Number of Fatalities from Heat |
| |
October 2003 Estimates |
July 2006 Estimates |
Difference |
| |
| Italy |
4,175 |
18,257 |
14,082 |
| France |
14,802 |
14,802 |
0 |
| Germany |
7,000 |
7,000 |
0 |
| Spain |
4,230 |
4,130 |
-100 |
| England and Wales |
2,045 |
2,139 |
94 |
| Portugal |
1,316 |
2,099 |
783 |
| Netherlands |
1,400 |
1,800 |
400 |
| Belgium |
150 |
1,250 |
1,100 |
| Switzerland |
N/A |
975 |
975 |
| |
| TOTAL OF ABOVE COUNTRIES |
35,118 |
52,452 |
17,334 |
| |
| Note: This table compares data on the number of fatalities in the European Summer 2003 heat wave as published by the Earth Policy Institute in October 2003 and in July 2006 based on available information at the time of release. Data are not strictly comparable for 2003 and 2006 because the period for measuring fatalities shifted during the interim. For example, data for Italy in the 2003 tabulation was for July 16–August 15 only, whereas those for the 2006 tabulation include July–September. |
| Compiled by Janet Larsen, Earth Policy Institute, July 2006. |
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