June 22, 2026
France breaks June temperature record as mercury climbs above 40
Temperatures in France on Monday have shattered records, according to weather service Meteo-France.
Meteo-France, citing provisional data, said France’s national heat index, the average of the day and night-time highs measured at 30 weather stations around the country, hit 29.2 degrees Celsius (84.5 F) on Monday, the highest level ever recorded in June.
All-time heat records were also shattered on Monday, with the temperature in Bordeaux, located in the southwestern wine country, hitting 41.9 degrees Celsius (107.4 F), breaking a record set last August.
Poitiers in central France reached 41.2 C, beating a previous high set in 1947.
Paris sweat through its hottest-ever night for June, with the temperature not getting below 24.2 Celsius (75.5 F). The French capital broke another June record with 37.7 C (99.9 F) recorded Monday afternoon.
Over the weekend, authorities banned the sale of alcohol for the the Fete de la Musique street parties taking place in Paris, and cities around the country.
The French weather agency warned that the current heat wave would continue to be “widespread, long-lasting and intense,” with temperatures expected to remain high through at least the end of the week.
Meteorologists say that of the 51 heatwaves recorded in the country since 1947, 34 have taken place since 2000 — and 26 since 2011.
The current heat wave, they warn, could ultimately rival one that killed 15,000 people in France in August 2003.
At least 18 people have died so far in France in connection with the current round of extreme heat, including two children left in a car.
