France records its hottest day ever as heat wave grips Europe

France’s heat wave turned into a test of government capacity on Tuesday as the country’s national thermal indicator reached 29.8 C, the hottest day ever recorded. Météo-France put 54 departments, about half the country, under red alert and warned that the episode could last at least until the weekend, with some temperatures set to surpass every previous record no matter the season.

The strain showed up across daily life. Paris authorities opened parks overnight, canceled a dozen outdoor sports events and reshaped transit and school schedules as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum restricted visiting hours. The French government also limited alcohol consumption in red-alert departments during the Fête de la Musique, a sign that even public celebrations were being pulled into emergency management.

Forecasters said Paris could top 40 C for the first time on a June day, a milestone that would underscore how far the country’s heat profile has shifted. France is already facing its second heat wave of 2026, after a scorching May that brought the hottest May day ever recorded in the country and pushed spring 2026 to a mean temperature of 13.8 C, the warmest spring on record.

Météo-France described the event as exceptional nationwide and said it could resemble the severity of August 2003, when nearly 15,000 people died in France. That history hangs over every warning about older people, those with chronic illness, isolated residents, children, outdoor workers and athletes, especially with dangerous nighttime heat adding to the daytime peaks. France has also recorded 40 drowning deaths in the past week as people tried to cool off in rivers and other waterways despite official warnings.

The broader European picture is just as stark. Britain, France, Italy and Spain have issued top-level heat alerts, while meteorologists say human-caused climate change is making extreme heat more frequent, longer-lasting and more severe. For wealthy democracies, the question is no longer whether records will fall, but whether schools, hospitals, transit systems and labor rules can be redesigned fast enough to protect people before the next one does.