Europe’s heatwave shifts east as France raises health alert to highest level
After days of sweltering conditions across Spain, France and the UK, the heatwave is now moving east, with forecasters in Germany and the Czech Republic warning of extreme temperatures.
Temperatures in western and south‑western Germany could reach 40 °C on Thursday and across the country on Friday, while a severe heat warning is active in much of the Czech Republic.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that the country’s health alert level has been raised to its highest stage. The move aims to increase hospital staffing and safeguard the vulnerable during the ongoing heat. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist noted deaths among young people and the elderly linked to the extreme heat.
United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell pointed out that Europe’s “savage heatwave” shows the fingerprints of the climate crisis and called for a faster shift to renewables, better forest protection and stronger climate resilience.
France reported its hottest day on Wednesday for the second consecutive day. Météo‑France said the average minimum temperature that night reached 22 °C, and Nantes recorded 27.2 °C in the north‑west.
Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire warned that mortality rates were increasing in the city amid prolonged high temperatures. He urged residents to avoid outdoor exercise late at night, remarking that many joggers looked careless at 7.30 pm last night.
“It’s fine to take a couple of days off from exercising,”
Tragic incidents have followed the extreme heat. A three‑year‑old child was found dead in a car in the Paris region, days after two younger children were found deceased in the same family's vehicle in Carpentras.
In Rennes, the head of the Accident and Emergency department, Professor Louis Soulas, linked the deaths of five or six people to the high temperatures, noting that the victims were 60 years or older rather than the very elderly.
“It’s not just the very elderly; it’s people aged 60 and up,” Soulas said.
Rennes saw a record 40.6 °C on Monday, which was broken by 41 °C the next day, pushing intensive care units to their limits. France’s Orsan health emergency plan has moved to level three to maintain strain over time and protect the most vulnerable.
Three nuclear power plants in France went offline due to the heat, adding pressure on the energy grid.
Western France braces for heavy thunderstorms, with gusts up to 110 km/h on the Atlantic coast expected after Thursday afternoon. The first day of the Garorock festival was canceled in Lot‑et‑Garonne, where temperatures could reach 42 °C.
Climate change is driving record‑breaking heat in Europe. The Copernicus climate service reports that Europe warms twice as fast as the global average, leading to more intense storms, water shortages and wildfires. Last year, over 1 million hectares burned across Europe, a record particularly high in Spain.
Germany’s DWD meteorology service said many areas were experiencing “heat stress” and that the heatwave could be historic. Luxembourg recorded its highest June temperature of 38.3 °C in Wormeldingen on Wednesday, and a red alert remains in force until Saturday night.
The Czech Republic’s health station said temperatures would climb to 40 °C over the weekend. Vienna could also see 40 °C on the weekend. The UK’s Met Office has extended its red extreme heat warning to Friday evening for parts of London and south‑eastern England.
In Italy, Florence’s Uffizi museum paused ticket sales until 28 June, allowing entry only for those who had booked in advance because the air‑conditioning could not cope with visitor flow. The country’s hot temperatures are expected to peak around Monday, with 40 °C in northern regions and night temperatures not falling below 29 °C.
Style notes from forecasters: “Gone are last century’s June days of 32 °C daytime temperatures and cool 17 °C nights,” they say, “today we welcome a forecast of 34 °C as good news.”
