The World Health Organization has warned that Europe may face “more deadly weeks” as another intense heatwave forms over the Atlantic, raising fresh concern about public health, energy systems and wildfire risk across the continent.

In the coming days, temperatures in Portugal and southern Spain are expected to climb as high as 43°C, according to forecasts cited by Reuters, as western Europe prepares for another round of extreme heat following a record-breaking June episode.

WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge held an emergency meeting on Monday with representatives from 41 countries in the region, as well as the European Commission and civil society organisations, to assess the lessons from the recent heatwave and discuss preparations for the next one.

Kluge said countries that already had heat-health action plans in place were able to respond more quickly and better protect vulnerable groups during the June heatwave. However, he warned that fewer than half of WHO’s European member states currently have such plans in operation.

Experts have described the heatwave that struck Europe from June 20 to 28 as the most severe ever recorded on the continent. The extreme temperatures disrupted energy production, damaged infrastructure and placed additional pressure on health systems already struggling to cope with summer demand.

Scientists say the intensity of the heat was almost certainly driven by climate change, as Europe continues to warm faster than many other parts of the world. During the recent episode, temperatures reached 40°C in parts of the continent.

France, the Netherlands and Belgium recorded around 3,700 excess deaths during the heatwave, though authorities have stressed that the figure is preliminary and could rise further as more data becomes available.

The WHO has warned that some of the most vulnerable people – including care home residents, homeless people and older adults living alone – are still not being reached consistently during periods of extreme heat. Kluge said the work now had to focus both on fixing what failed in recent weeks and on building health systems better prepared for increasingly frequent heat events.

What is expected in Greece

For Greece, the immediate outlook is hot, but not yet comparable to the severe heatwave now threatening Portugal and southern Spain.

Current forecasts point to high-summer conditions rather than a major nationwide heatwave alert, with Athens expected to reach around 31–35°C over the coming days, Thessaloniki around 32–34°C, and Heraklion mostly between 29°C and 32°C.

However, authorities remain on alert for regional heat stress and wildfire risk. The Hellenic National Meteorological Service has issued a yellow warning for high temperatures in Central Macedonia, where daytime values are expected to reach 34–35°C, while thunderstorms are also forecast in parts of northern Greece.

Looking further ahead, the wider signal remains worrying. Long-range forecasts from the Meteo unit of the National Observatory of Athens suggest that July is likely to be warmer than normal across southeastern Europe, including Greece. According to the outlook, 92% of the available forecast scenarios point to above-normal average temperatures for the month.

That does not mean a specific heatwave can be confirmed weeks in advance. Long-range models identify broader monthly tendencies, not precise daily conditions. Still, the forecast suggests that Greece may face a hotter-than-average July, keeping public-health and fire-risk concerns elevated even if the country is not currently at the centre of the new European heat episode.