The hottest summer since 1900 in France

The hottest summer since 1900

Last summer in France will go down in history as the hottest in over 120 years. According to Meteo France, temperatures remained above average for this time of year on 83 of 92 days, and the mercury exceeded the 40 degrees Celsius mark 178 times.

Three heat waves passed through the country, lasting a total of 53 days - a result unprecedented in modern meteorological measurements.

8 thousand excess deaths

According to AFP calculations based on data from the medical authorities of Sante public France, approximately 8,000 excess deaths were recorded during this year's heatwaves. The first heat wave, which lasted from June 17 to July 2, turned out to be the most tragic - the number of excess deaths was 4.5 times higher than during the second wave and 7 times higher than during the third.

The hardest-hit region was Burgundy-Franche-Comté, where record temperatures lasted the longest.

Heat, droughts and fires - a summer full of extremes

It was not only high temperatures that bothered the inhabitants of France. Summer 2026 also brought droughts and forest fires, which additionally burdened emergency services. 73 of France's 96 departments were in the red zone, the highest weather alert, at least once.

Guillaume Boulanger from Sante public France emphasizes that this summer was absolutely exceptional in terms of the length and intensity of heatwaves. French medical authorities emphasize that death data are still being analyzed and may change. At the same time, experts warn that climate change may make similar extreme weather phenomena occur more and more often.