France Reports Its Hottest Summer Since Records Began in 1900

France’s summer of 2026 was the hottest recorded in the country since measurements began in 1900, Environment Minister Monique Barbut said Thursday while presenting the national summer climate report. The June-to-August season was marked by repeated heat waves, drought and major wildfires. France’s weather service, Météo-France, reported 53 days of heat-wave conditions—a figure it described as completely unprecedented. A heat wave in late June set a new intensity record. Another, beginning in late July and continuing into August, lasted 23 days, tying the country’s record for its longest heat wave, previously established in 1983. The prolonged heat also coincided with an unusually severe fire season. By the end of August, forest fires had burned six times more land than the average area recorded during the previous 20 years, Barbut said. The effects were especially visible in Paris, where relatively few homes have air conditioning. Some residents used fans or covered windows with foil survival blankets in an effort to block the sunlight. Schools were closed in some places, while fans and air-conditioning units became difficult to find. French authorities recorded thousands of excess deaths during the heat waves, according to the report. The extreme conditions were part of a broader season in which Belgium and Britain also recorded their hottest summers on record. Barbut said the government needed to improve preparation for future heat. She acknowledged that France would not have every school renovated by the following summer, but said shutters and air circulators could at least be installed. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu assigned Barbut in late July to propose measures for accelerating France’s national climate adaptation plan. She said conclusions, including a five-year funding plan, would be presented by the end of September. Scientists cited in the report say human-caused climate change has made extreme weather events more intense and more frequent. Barbut framed the record summer as a test of whether France would face a continuing run of broken temperature records or use the moment to strengthen adaptation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.