France braces for 'hottest days ever recorded' in second heatwave of 2026
France's weather service placed 60 of the country's 101 departments on orange heatwave alert – its second-highest warning – throughout Saturday and Sunday.
Ten north-central departments were also on alert for violent storms forecast to arrive on Saturday evening.
The heatwave, which extends over much of western Europe, is already the second of the year, after a scorching week in May broke records across the continent.
The UK, Spain, Switzerland and Germany have all also raised alert levels for the coming days, as have some cities in northern and central Italy.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is amplifying such extremes, with extreme heat, droughts and floods becoming more intense and frequent.
Why is Europe heating twice as fast as the rest of the planet?
Parallels with 2003
In France, temperatures are expected to climb on Sunday – the longest day of the year – and into Monday, as Météo France warns that some areas could hit 40C or higher.
"Sunday and Monday could be among the hottest days ever recorded across France," the weather service said.
The heat is forecast to last well into next week. Météo France said temperatures would not peak so much as plateau, with "maximum and minimum temperatures remaining at an extremely high level" until Thursday.
Meteorologists have warned that the heatwave bears similarities to France's worst hot spell on record in August 2003, when nearly 15,000 people died.
"This 2026 heatwave could be of the same duration and severity," Météo France climatologist Matthieu Sorel told reporters.
Like in 2003, temperatures will remain high even at night, experts predict, in some urban areas failing to drop below 25C. Parisians cool off in the Canal Saint-Martin, 17 June 2026.
El Nino threat grows as Europe prepares for another hot summer
Events cancelled
In Paris, where humidity is expected to contribute to "real feel" temperatures of up to 44C on Sunday, city authorities have activated emergency measures including opening parks throughout the night.
The prefect of police has instructed organisers to cancel a dozen outdoor sports events planned for the weekend.
Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said on Saturday that Fête de la Musique, the free all-night festival celebrated every 21 June, would go ahead in the capital – but several other local authorities in the greater Paris region and beyond have cancelled or scaled back concerts.
The government is not considering cancelling the event nationally, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said after ministers held an emergency meeting on the heatwave on Saturday morning.
(with newswires)