Data Vis Dispatch, June 23: Heatwaves, the World Cup, and the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum

Welcome back to the 250th edition of Data Vis Dispatch! Every week, we’ll be publishing a collection of the best small and large data visualizations we find, especially from news organizations — to celebrate data journalism, data visualization, simple charts, elaborate maps, and their creators.

Recurring topics this week include heatwaves, the World Cup, and the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum.

A record-breaking heatwave began this past weekend, with high temperatures recorded across Europe.

Le Monde: <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2026/06/19/combien-d-episodes-de-canicule-votre-departement-a-t-il-connu-ces-dernieres-annees_6186461_4355771.html"><strong>Combien d’épisodes de canicule votre département a-t-il connu ces dernières années ?</strong></a> [<em>Chart title: The Rhône department is by far the most affected</em>], June 21 — Le Monde: **Combien d’épisodes de canicule votre département a-t-il connu ces dernières années ?** [*Chart title: The Rhône department is by far the most affected*], June 21

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/world/europe/heat-map-tracker.html"><strong>Tracking Heat Across Europe</strong></a>, June 21 — The New York Times: **Tracking Heat Across Europe**, June 21

Guido Cioni: "I'm at a loss for words. The weather scenario unfolding over Europe over the last month can hardly be described in terms of the climate we used to know. This graph shows the evolution of maximum temperatures in London compared with the 5th–95th percentile range and the climatological average. The previous heatwave, which developed at the end of May and broke many records already, is NOTHING compared with what may happen over the next few days. Some models even indicate a possibility of maximum temperatures exceeding 40°C," June 22 (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7474730310698594306/"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a>) — Guido Cioni: "I'm at a loss for words. The weather scenario unfolding over Europe over the last month can hardly be described in terms of the climate we used to know. This graph shows the evolution of maximum temperatures in London compared with the 5th–95th percentile range and the climatological average. The previous heatwave, which developed at the end of May and broke many records already, is NOTHING compared with what may happen over the next few days. Some models even indicate a possibility of maximum temperatures exceeding 40°C," June 22 (**LinkedIn**)

Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-19/record-heat-wave-sears-france-with-farms-and-power-grids-tested"><strong>El Niño Is Turbocharging the Record Heat Wave Searing Europe</strong></a>, June 19 — Bloomberg: **El Niño Is Turbocharging the Record Heat Wave Searing Europe**, June 19

Heatwaves not only increase the risk of wildfires but also lead to scorching temperatures in classrooms. Unfortunately, many people lack access to tree cover, which is necessary for keeping cool during periods of extreme heat.

The Conversation: <a href="https://theconversation.com/heat-waves-increase-wildfire-risk-a-new-study-explains-how-much-and-its-not-a-small-number-285128"><strong>Heat waves increase wildfire risk – a new study explains how much, and it’s not a small number</strong></a>, June 17 — The Conversation: **Heat waves increase wildfire risk – a new study explains how much, and it’s not a small number**, June 17

EL PAÍS: <a href="https://elpais.com/educacion/2026-06-17/radiografia-de-un-cole-achicharrado-mas-de-37-grados-en-unas-aulas-ardientes-recien-construidas.html"><strong>Radiografía de un cole achicharrado: más de 37 grados en unas aulas “ardientes” recién construidas</strong></a> [<em>Chart title: Highest temperatures around lunchtime</em>], June 17 — EL PAÍS: **Radiografía de un cole achicharrado: más de 37 grados en unas aulas “ardientes” recién construidas** [*Chart title: Highest temperatures around lunchtime*], June 17

Not-Ship: <a href="https://www.not-ship.com/can-you-see-three-trees/"><strong>Can you see three trees?</strong></a>, June 18 — Not-Ship: **Can you see three trees?**, June 18

In recent years, U.K. politics have been unusually turbulent, with prime ministers changing more frequently than even in Italy. Yesterday, Keir Starmer announced his resignation (and today, the U.K. marks the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum).

Filippo Teoldi: "The Italian Prime Minister has now seen off three British Prime Ministers," June 22 (Bluesky)

Financial Times: "Less than two years after winning a huge parliamentary majority at the general election, Keir Starmer has announced his resignation.⁠He will become the fifth consecutive British prime minister not to serve out a full parliamentary term, highlighting how instability has come to define Downing Street [...]," June 23 (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ5Ag7lEjel/?img_index=2"><strong>Instagram</strong></a>) — Financial Times: "Less than two years after winning a huge parliamentary majority at the general election, Keir Starmer has announced his resignation.⁠He will become the fifth consecutive British prime minister not to serve out a full parliamentary term, highlighting how instability has come to define Downing Street [...]," June 23 (**Instagram**)

Agence France-Presse: "🇬🇧 Avec la démission du Premier ministre travailliste Keir Starmer après deux ans à son poste, l'instabilité politique se poursuit au Royaume-Uni, qui a changé six fois de Premier ministre ces dix dernières années [<em>🇬🇧 With the resignation of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer after two years in office, political instability continues in the United Kingdom, which has had six different prime ministers over the past decade</em>]," June 22 (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ49AfGG0oH/"><strong>Instagram</strong></a>) — Agence France-Presse: "🇬🇧 Avec la démission du Premier ministre travailliste Keir Starmer après deux ans à son poste, l'instabilité politique se poursuit au Royaume-Uni, qui a changé six fois de Premier ministre ces dix dernières années [🇬🇧 With the resignation of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer after two years in office, political instability continues in the United Kingdom, which has had six different prime ministers over the past decade]," June 22 (**Instagram**)

Al Jazeera:<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/6/23/after-a-decade-brexits-cost-to-britain-is-not-only-economic"> <strong>After a decade, Brexit’s cost to Britain is not only economic</strong></a>, June 23 — Al Jazeera: **After a decade, Brexit’s cost to Britain is not only economic**, June 23

Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/565655b0-f5bc-46a4-91fd-a560f05081f7?syn-25a6b1a6=1"><strong>In charts: How Brexit still divides British voters</strong></a>, June 18 — Financial Times: **In charts: How Brexit still divides British voters**, June 18

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/06/18/ten-years-on-how-the-brexit-vote-changed-britain"><strong>Ten years on, how the Brexit vote changed Britain</strong></a>, June 18 — The Economist: **Ten years on, how the Brexit vote changed Britain**, June 18

Die Zeit: <a href="https://www.zeit.de/wirtschaft/2026-06/zehn-jahre-brexit-wirtschaft-handel-fazit"><strong>Was wäre, wenn der Brexit nie passiert wäre?</strong></a> [<em>What if Brexit had never happened?</em>], June 23 — Die Zeit: **Was wäre, wenn der Brexit nie passiert wäre?** [*What if Brexit had never happened?*], June 23

The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/23/majority-gen-z-britons-new-vote-rejoin-eu-poll-finds"><strong>Three in five gen Z Britons would like new vote to rejoin EU, poll finds</strong></a>, June 23 — The Guardian: **Three in five gen Z Britons would like new vote to rejoin EU, poll finds**, June 23

Plenty of new World Cup matches have taken place over the past week, so here’s a new batch of visualizations about them, with topics ranging from qualification journeys to game and player analyses.

Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/SOCCER-WORLDCUP/zgvolqqoypd/#how-world-cup-2026-debutants-earned-their-place-in-the-finals"><strong>Years in the making: How World Cup 2026 debutants earned their place in the finals</strong></a>, June 16 — Reuters: **Years in the making: How World Cup 2026 debutants earned their place in the finals**, June 16

ABC News: <a href="https://www.abc.es/deportes/futbol/mundial/resistencia-cabo-verde-ante-espana-previsible-20260616155456-nt.html"><strong>Así fue la resistencia de Cabo Verde ante una España previsible</strong></a> [<em>This was Cape Verde's resistance against a predictable Spain</em>], June 16 — ABC News: **Así fue la resistencia de Cabo Verde ante una España previsible** [*This was Cape Verde's resistance against a predictable Spain*], June 16

EL PAÍS: <a href="https://elpais.com/argentina/2026-06-22/el-gol-de-maradona-metro-a-metro-reconstruccion-visual-del-partido-mas-famoso-de-la-historia.html"><strong>El gol de Maradona metro a metro: reconstrucción visual del partido más famoso de la historia</strong></a> [<em>Chart title: The most decisive player of each World Cup</em>] , June 22 — EL PAÍS: **El gol de Maradona metro a metro: reconstrucción visual del partido más famoso de la historia** [*Chart title: The most decisive player of each World Cup*] , June 22

The New York Times: See the U.S. Goal That Was Allowed to Stand After Video Review, June 20

Moving on to the topic of AI, an increasing number of e-books released on Amazon are AI-generated, while website traffic from AI search engines reveals a seasonal pattern. Additionally, various AI companies are facing lawsuits over copyright infringement.

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/06/16/did-ai-write-this-article"><strong>Did AI write this article?</strong></a>, June 16 — The Economist: **Did AI write this article?**, June 16

SE Ranking: <a href="https://seranking.com/blog/ai-traffic-research-study/"><strong>AI traffic grew 16x from 2024 to 2026: Here are the top AI search engines driving visits to websites</strong></a>, June 18 — SE Ranking: **AI traffic grew 16x from 2024 to 2026: Here are the top AI search engines driving visits to websites**, June 18

Information is Beautiful: <a href="https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/the-rise-of-generative-ai-large-language-models-llms-like-chatgpt/"><strong>A visualisation of selected lawsuits from over 100 filed against AI companies as of June 2026</strong></a>, June 16 — Information is Beautiful: **A visualisation of selected lawsuits from over 100 filed against AI companies as of June 2026**, June 16

Similarly, on the topic of technology, the prediction market Polymarket is seeing well-timed bets that could be the result of insider trading. Meanwhile, deceptive promotion videos created by paid influencers are flooding social media.

Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-polymarket-bets-iran-war-insider-trading/"><strong>Polymarket Bets on Iran Deal Fuel Fresh Insider-Trading Fears</strong></a>, June 17 — Bloomberg: **Polymarket Bets on Iran Deal Fuel Fresh Insider-Trading Fears**, June 17

The Wall Street Journal: They Looked Like They Were Getting Rich on Polymarket—but None of It Was Real, June 20

Visualizations of the latest Ebola outbreak show the rapid spread of the virus and the rare Bundibugyo species behind it.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung: <a href="https://www.nzz.ch/visuals/neuer-ebola-ausbruch-im-kongo-alle-infos-zur-bundibugyo-variante-ld.10009530"><strong>Der Ebola-Ausbruch in Kongo verschärft sich: was hinter der seltenen Bundibugyo-Variante steckt</strong></a> [<em>The Ebola outbreak in the Congo is worsening: what lies behind the rare Bundibugyo variant</em>], June 18 — Neue Zürcher Zeitung: **Der Ebola-Ausbruch in Kongo verschärft sich: was hinter der seltenen Bundibugyo-Variante steckt** [*The Ebola outbreak in the Congo is worsening: what lies behind the rare Bundibugyo variant*], June 18

BBC: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz72p75zg4qo"><strong>What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult?</strong></a>, June 22 — BBC: **What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult?**, June 22

And finally, to conclude this Dispatch, we present a selection of other interesting topics: the portrayal of Ukrainians in international film, noise levels in Dublin, and solargraphs!

Texty: <a href="https://texty.org.ua/projects/117635/"><strong>Дівчата, Мафія, Борщ, Війна Як світове кіно показує українців</strong></a> [<em>Girls, Mafia, Borscht, War: How World Cinema Portrays Ukrainians</em>], June 16 — Texty: **Дівчата, Мафія, Борщ, Війна Як світове кіно показує українців** [*Girls, Mafia, Borscht, War: How World Cinema Portrays Ukrainians*], June 16

Decibel Shield: <a href="https://decibelshield.app/sound-map/europe/dublin/"><strong>How loud is Dublin, Ireland?</strong></a>, June 17 — Decibel Shield: **How loud is Dublin, Ireland?**, June 17

Robert Kosara: "I've built a solargraph simulator using solar irradiation data. Pick a place on Earth, animate the solargraph, draw just one point per hour for analemma view, or switch to panorama mode that projects the solargraph into a virtual sky you can navigate," June 21 (Bluesky, project website)

What else we found interesting

PerThirtySix: <a href="https://perthirtysix.com/how-the-heck-do-synthesizers-work"><strong>How The Heck Do Synthesizers Work?</strong></a>, June 22 — PerThirtySix: **How The Heck Do Synthesizers Work?**, June 22

Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/SOCCER-WORLDCUP/egvbwkrbxpq/"><strong>How the World Cup ball has evolved</strong></a>, June 22 — Reuters: **How the World Cup ball has evolved**, June 22

Maps Mania: <a href="https://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/2026/06/jerrys-map-interactive.html"><strong>Jerry's Map Interactive</strong></a>, June 19 (<a href="https://marcmajcher.github.io/jerrysmap/"><strong>project website</strong></a>) — Maps Mania: **Jerry's Map Interactive**, June 19 (**project website**)

Applications are open for…

A junior graphics storyteller at Kontinentalist

A visual story designer at Kontinentalist

A senior designer, story design & UX at CNN

A senior data & graphics editor at CNN

A senior visuals editor at CNN
A senior visuals developer at CNN
A data journalist at Die Zeit

A graphics journalist at Dow Jones

An interactive visual journalist at The Economist

A PostDoc in Health Data Science at The Complexity Science Hub

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Data Vis Dispatch, June 23: Heatwaves, the World Cup, and the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum

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