Hottest June on record in France as heatwave deaths rise to alarming levels

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkCooling off at Jardins du Trocadéro in Paris, June 24, 2026 [Annice Lyn/Getty Images]By AFP, Reuters and The Associated PressPublished On 3 Jul 20263 Jul 2026France had its hottest June since records began in 1947 as a deadly heatwave pushes temperatures above 40C in many areas, according to its weather service.“Unprecedented temperatures, both day and night, affected more than a third of the country” during the heatwave from June 17 to 30 June, Meteo-France said on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Are Europe’s extreme summers the new normal? What the science sayslist 2 of 4Warmest June on record for England, second-warmest for UK, says Met Officelist 3 of 4World’s oceans experience hottest June ever, scientists say more heat aheadlist 4 of 4UN warns likelihood of ‘extreme weather events’ as El Nino set to intensifyend of list“During this historic episode, temperatures of 40C were exceeded at least once over more than 40 percent of the country,” it said, adding that the country experienced an average temperature of 22.7C, 3.8C above seasonal norms for 1991 to 2020.The average temperatures on June 24 and 25 this year were the highest ever recorded in France, all months combined.The June heatwave also broke temperature records in other parts of Europe.The second record heatwave in France this year has led to higher death rates, as schools were closed and festivals cancelled.Public Health France, the country’s public health authority, said deaths surged by 29 percent during the hottest week last month, with at least 2,000 more deaths reported than the previous week as rising temperatures filled hospitals with victims.The new and still incomplete figures from Public Health France doubled its first preliminary estimate of at least 1,000 additional deaths that it gave on Sunday. That earlier estimate covered just three of the hottest days of extreme heat.A pharmacy displays how hot it was in Toulouse in southwestern France during the earliest recorded heatwave in June 2022 [Lionel Bonaventure/AFP]The updated tally of deaths from Public Health France spans the week of June 22 to June 28 , during which France saw its hottest-ever days and records shattered for peak daytime and nighttime temperatures in many cities and towns across the country.The agency said it has counted 8,973 deaths so far for that week, cautioning that the number was still only a partial count. The preliminary total was 29 percent higher than the 6,948 deaths registered for the previous week of June 15 to June 21 , when the heatwave started.The difference between the two sets of figures – 2,025 so far – is considered to be additional deaths from one week to the next, from all causes and covering all age groups, it said.Hospitals overwhelmedIn the capital Paris, funeral service directors said they were struggling to find places to store bodies before burial or cremation, with some mortuaries saying they were full and forced to turn some away.Patients suffering from heat exposure began arriving in a surge at Paris-Saclay Hospital on June 20 , emergency department head Dr Nicolas Gonzales told The Associated Press news agency.He said they treated heat victims for heart attacks, dehydration, kidney malfunctions and other heat-related problems, ranging from children to older people living alone.Public Health France said there was a particularly sharp increase week-on-week in the number of deaths in private homes, – up by 91 percent. Deaths in care homes for the elderly increased by 37 percent and in hospitals by nearly 20 percent.The Paris region appears to have been hit hardest, with a 63 percent increase in deaths from one week to the next, it said.The health agency cautioned that its figures underestimate the true toll because they are based on incomplete data. “The mortality will as a consequence be higher than these first figures,” it said.