France records its hottest day ever as heatwave kills at least 40 and forces widespread closures

Records crumble across the country

Tuesday 23 June became France's hottest day on record, surpassing the 29.4°C national indicator values set during the 2003 and 2019 heatwaves, according to provisional data from Météo-France. The previous night was also the warmest ever recorded, averaging 21.6°C across 30 reference stations, beating the 21.4°C mark of July 2019. In the southwest, temperatures soared to 44.3°C at Pissos (Landes), while 43.3°C was recorded at Cazaux (Gironde), 42.2°C at Niort, 42.1°C at Bordeaux and 41.3°C at Rennes, all absolute local records for any month.

Météo-France expects conditions to persist, warning that the heatwave is comparable in severity to the catastrophic August 2003 event and likely to surpass it in peak intensity. Maximum temperatures of 40–42°C are forecast through the weekend, with little relief overnight.

Red alerts expand to cover 44 million people

The national forecaster placed 58 departments under its highest red heat alert from midday Wednesday, adding Aisne, Somme, Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Together with the 31 departments remaining at orange level, more than 90% of the French population (roughly 63.5 million) is exposed to extreme or exceptional heat.

“This heatwave will be entirely comparable in severity to that of August 2003. It should exceed it in terms of maximum intensity. Uncertainty remains on duration.”

Casualties and emergency strain

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that 40 people have died by drowning since 18 June, mostly young people, calling it a “sad scourge.” Two children aged 2 and 4 were found dead in a car in Carpentras (south-east), and three elderly people died in their homes in the south-west. Emergency services report a 30–40% jump in call volumes but say hospitals are still coping, though doctors warn of worsening health outcomes if the heat persists.

Disruption to schools, transport and monuments

Over 1,800 schools have closed and a further 8,000 have adapted their timetables to limit student exposure. Oral baccalauréat exams in four academy zones were postponed, requiring 5,000 students to be re-summoned. The SNCF has cancelled 70 trains since 18 June, and CEO Jean Castex urged vulnerable passengers to avoid rail travel, citing the risk of electrical failures that would disable air conditioning. One nuclear plant was shut down because of cooling issues linked to the heat.

In Paris, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Mont-Saint-Michel all closed early. In the La Défense business district, a cooling plant admitted it cannot fully replenish its ice stocks overnight, meaning interior temperatures will be degraded.

Europe swelters and climate alarm grows

The heatwave extends across Western Europe, with red alerts also issued for parts of Spain, Italy and England. Speaking at London Climate Action Week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres blamed the climate and energy crises on fossil fuels.

“We cannot bet further on a system based on fossil fuels that feeds both the climate crisis and the energy crisis.”

Guterres additionally urged large artificial intelligence companies to disclose the full climate cost of their data centres and commit to renewable energy. The heatwave comes less than a month after a previous extreme heat episode hit the same region, and scientists say human-driven climate change is making such events more intense and more frequent.