France posted its hottest June day on record Tuesday with a national average temperature of 29.8C, prompting extended red heat alerts across 58 regions as the European heatwave spreads, Météo-France reported. At least 40 people have drowned in the country since mid-June, with additional heat-related deaths confirmed, according to government announcements. The extreme conditions have disrupted rail services, caused power outages and are exerting economic pressure on infrastructure and productivity.
As France braces for another day of sweltering heat as Europe heatwave spreads, temperatures in some areas could reach 39C to 40C on Wednesday with overnight lows remaining elevated, Météo-France data shows. The Louvre has adjusted closing times to avoid peak afternoon heat while 150 firefighters contained a wildfire in Maine-et-Loire overnight, French authorities stated. Utility companies restored power to most of the 68,000 homes impacted by outages in Finistère by Wednesday evening.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that 40 drownings since June 18 represented a grim scourge linked to the soaring temperatures, a CNN report detailed. Three elderly individuals died from heat effects near Bordeaux and two children were found dead in a hot car in southern France, according to official updates. Health services have urged particular caution for vulnerable groups including the elderly and young children during the prolonged episode.
The heatwave has triggered orange alerts in the Netherlands and Belgium where temperatures could hit 39C, national meteorological services reported. Germany faces potential readings of 40C over the weekend while red alerts cover parts of Poland, Croatia and Hungary later in the week, regional forecasts indicate. Spain experienced some cooling Wednesday after northern red alerts with Italy maintaining red warnings for 16 cities, Ansa reported.
SNCF cancelled 71 intercity trains on key routes due to risks from track expansion and overhead power line damage, Reuters reported. SNCF chief Jean Castex said the rail network was strongly impacted and that 3,500 staff had been mobilised for monitoring with 2,000 more assigned to emergency repairs. The operator urged vulnerable passengers to postpone travel as schools in affected zones closed and events were curtailed.
Electricity demand in France rose as much as 9 percent during comparable recent heat episodes while average daily power prices increased more than 100 percent, Ember energy analysis found. The European Environment Agency figures place economic losses from weather and climate extremes at EUR 822 billion in the EU between 1980 and 2024, with heatwaves responsible for almost 18 percent of the total. A Nature Communications study estimated that past European heatwaves reduced GDP growth by between 0.3 and 0.5 percent in affected years.
Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou said, “we’re in the process of finding out we’ve become a hot country.” Projections in the Nature study indicated potential annual GDP losses exceeding 1 percent by the 2060s without further adaptation measures. Southern European nations including France face the highest projected exposure according to the research.
