France records hottest day ever as Europe heatwave intensifies

France recorded its hottest day ever as an exceptional heatwave tightened across western Europe, with Meteo-France saying the country’s national thermal indicator reached 29.7C. French authorities placed more than a third of the country under a red heatwave alert and warned that several more days of very hot weather were still ahead.

The heat has already spilled into daily life. Schools closed in parts of the country, transport was disrupted and some Paris monuments cut their opening hours as officials tried to limit exposure during the most dangerous part of the day. French authorities also banned the consumption of some outdoor alcohol in affected conditions, a sign of how quickly the emergency has moved beyond forecasts and into public-order rules.

Spain and Italy were also under red weather alerts as temperatures pushed above 40C in parts of western Europe. In France, the heat has been linked to deaths and drownings as people sought relief in rivers, lakes and at beaches, adding a public-health toll to the strain on services and infrastructure.

The latest surge follows a pattern that has become harder for governments to dismiss. Copernicus Climate Change Service said western Europe had its warmest June on record in 2025, driven by two major heatwaves, one in mid-June and another at the turn of the month. The region’s average June temperature reached 20.49C, surpassing the previous record from 2003 and underscoring how early in the summer extreme heat is now arriving. With red alerts now stretching across France, Spain and Italy, the crisis has become a test of whether closures, warnings and tighter rules can keep pace with heat that is arriving more often and hitting harder.