France joins other European countries in recording its hottest summer since measurements began.
Published On 3 Sep 2026
In 2026, France experienced its hottest summer on record, joining Belgium, Britain, and Ireland in enduring unprecedented heat across Europe, the continent warming at a rate faster than any other region on the globe. “We have just lived through the hottest summer ever recorded since measurements began in 1900,” French Environment Minister Monique Barbut announced during a Thursday presentation of the summer climate report.
The country faced multiple severe heatwaves throughout the season, including a late June event that shattered intensity records. French Health Minister Stephanie Rist reported an unprecedented 2,025 excess deaths during the heatwaves, noting a particularly sharp increase among individuals aged 45 and older. Another prolonged heatwave stretched from late July into August, matching the 23-day record previously set in 1983. Amidst these extreme temperatures, France also battled several major wildfires, even in regions typically known for cooler and wetter climates.
According to the national weather agency Meteo France, the summer was characterized by exceptionally low rainfall, facing a deficit of nearly 40 percent and ranking as the second driest summer since records began. The season recorded an average temperature of 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit), which is 3.6 degrees Celsius (6.5 degrees Fahrenheit) above the normal average.
“The summer of 2026 will go down in history,” Barbut stated. “The critical question we must ask ourselves is how this summer will be remembered: as the first in an ongoing series of record-breaking summers, or as a pivotal moment when we rose to the challenge of adaptation and mitigation by aggressively reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
In late July, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu tasked Barbut with presenting new measures to accelerate the implementation of France’s national climate change adaptation plan. On Thursday, she promised to deliver conclusions by the end of September, which will include a comprehensive five-year funding plan.
Millions of people across France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe experienced extreme temperatures this summer. According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe remains the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s.
