Western Europe remained under an intense heatwave on Wednesday as France registered its highest national temperature indicator since records began, while the United Kingdom experienced its hottest June day on record and Spain logged its warmest average June temperatures in more than seven decades.
Millions of people across the region continued to face exceptionally high temperatures, prompting widespread health warnings, disruptions to public services and heightened wildfire concerns. Red heat alerts remained in effect across large areas of France, Spain and Italy, with additional warnings extending into several other European countries.
France’s national temperature indicator—calculated from average daytime and nighttime readings across multiple monitoring stations—reached 30C on Wednesday, making it the hottest day recorded since the dataset began in 1947. Météo-France reported provisional maximum temperatures generally ranging between 39C and 43C across much of western France, with the highest reading of 43C recorded in the Poitou-Charentes-Val de Loire area.
More than half of France remained under the country’s highest heat warning level. Power outages also affected tens of thousands of households in western regions as electricity networks came under strain.
The prolonged heat forced several major tourist attractions in Paris to shorten operating hours. Both the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower closed earlier than scheduled because of the extreme conditions. A spokesperson for the Louvre said the historic building was not adequately adapted to cope with increasingly frequent periods of extreme heat.
Public safety concerns have also intensified. Since last Thursday, at least 40 people have drowned in incidents linked to the hot weather across France, including a six-year-old child at a beach in Bègles, Gironde.
Dry conditions have increased the threat of wildfires. In Maine-et-Loire, more than 150 firefighters were deployed to contain a significant forest fire in the Breignon woodland near Saint-Macaire-du-Bois. Emergency services said the blaze was brought under control overnight.
Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou said France was adapting to the reality of becoming “a hot country,” adding that broader societal changes may be required as extreme heat becomes more common.
Meteorologists expect temperatures in France to begin easing gradually from Friday.
Heat records across Europe
The extreme weather extended beyond France, setting or approaching records elsewhere in western Europe.
The UK recorded its hottest June day on record after temperatures reached 36.1C in Gosport, Hampshire, on Wednesday. Forecasters warned that some areas could approach 38C on Thursday if conditions persist.
Spain’s national weather agency, Aemet, reported that average daily temperatures reached 28.08C on Monday and 28.17C on Tuesday, marking the country’s highest average June temperatures since records began in 1950. Red heat alerts remained in place across parts of northern Spain, where temperatures could climb to 42C, particularly in the Basque Country.
Italy continued to face widespread extreme heat, with the Health Ministry issuing 16 red alerts covering many northern and central cities.
Forecasters expect the hottest conditions to spread farther north toward Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands later this week. Heat warnings have also been issued for several eastern European countries, including Poland, Croatia and Hungary.
Germany has already reported heat-related fatalities. A 26-year-old man died after entering the Danube River near Regensburg, Bavaria, on Tuesday evening.
The prolonged dry weather has also raised concerns over water availability. Authorities in the German states of Brandenburg, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia have urged residents to conserve water, while barbecue bans have been introduced in cities including Stuttgart and Freiburg to reduce wildfire risks.
In the Netherlands, the KNMI weather service issued a Code Orange warning for southern and central regions through at least Friday. Temperatures are expected to reach 37C, with some forecasts indicating highs close to 39C by the end of the week.
Belgium also remains under widespread orange heat alerts, where temperatures are forecast to approach 37C over the coming days.
Climate scientists have consistently warned that Europe is warming faster than any other continent. Data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service show the continent is heating at roughly twice the global average rate, contributing to more frequent and intense summer heatwaves, increasing pressure on water resources and elevating the risk of large wildfires.
