- France recorded its hottest day ever Tuesday, with the national thermal indicator, an average of temperatures measured at 30 weather stations, reaching 29.8 C (85.6 F). France's previous hottest days were recorded during heat waves of August 2003 and July 2019, with an average temperature of 29.4 C (84.9 F).
- Temperature records also tumbled at individual weather stations and on consecutive days in some towns as daytime highs climbed well above 40 C (104 F), Meteo France said, adding, “Further record-breaking temperatures are expected, including some that could surpass all previous records, regardless of the time of year.”
- The extreme temperatures prompted red alerts in France, the United Kingdom and Spain, affecting tens of millions of people and causing widespread disruptions. In France, the heat led to major attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre museum restricting their visiting hours, alongside impacts on schools and public transport schedules.
- Authorities reported 40 drowning fatalities in France over the past week, predominantly involving young people seeking relief in rivers and other bodies of water despite warnings against unsupervised swimming.
- The heatwave is expected to persist until at least the weekend, with further record-breaking temperatures anticipated, and is linked to human-caused climate change, with Europe identified as the world's fastest-warming continent.
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