July France's hottest month since records began, says national weather service

Météo-France said on Tuesday that July ​2026 had an average ​temperature of 24.9 degrees Celsius – surpassing the previous ​records of an average of ‌24.8⁠C in August 2003, and 24.4C in July 2006.

"From 4 to 19 July 2026, France experienced its second heatwave of the year, notable for its duration (16 days), following an early spell of high temperatures in May," said Météo-France.

"It ranks among the longest heatwaves France has ever experienced, after those of July 1982, 23 days, and July 2006, 21 days."

Météo-France, which has been monitoring the nation's weather under various guises since 1878, said the only other months of July with less rainfall came in 2020 and 2022, when rainfall was a record 85 percent below average.

"Drought increases the susceptibility of vegetation to fire," Météo-France added in its bulletin. "Plants dry out. This makes it easier not only for fires to start but also for them to develop and spread."

The statistics emerged as the Interior Ministry said 402 people, including 156 minors, had been arrested in connection with the wildfires which have devastated 120,000 hectares around France since the start of the summer.

"We are, of course, remaining extremely vigilant as weather conditions remain conducive to fires breaking out,” said Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.

He said 14,540 blazes or outbreaks of fire had been registered, but added: "The situation is improving."

The tinderbox conditions, worsened by successive heatwaves in France since May, contributed to the spread of the largest wildfire to hit the country since 1949.

It began on 22 July near Saumos in south-western France and spread north of the Arcachon Basin, while a second broke out on 23 July near Biscarrosse 60km away. Together they had burnt about 42,000 hectares by 27 July.

Deadly helicopter crash in Greece highlights danger to crews fighting wildfires

Forecast

Météo-France on Wednesday issued an orange heatwave alert – the second most serious warning – for 13  departments, including the Drôme, where a fire that started on Monday has burned across 280 hectares.

It said temperatures were likely to remain warner than normal throughout France over the next three months.

"However, this scenario is based on the three-month average and short-lived cooler spells remain possible," it added. 

"The most likely scenario for rainfall is a wetter-than-normal quarter around the Mediterranean Sea, including the French regions close to the Mediterranean."

France's Fontainebleau forest faces long recovery after wildfires

Europe has been gripped by successive heatwaves and a major drought this year. 

In Spain, between 13 and 28 July, around 140,000 hectares were burnt as a result of three major fires at Ávila–Madrid–Toledo in central Spain, west of Madrid); Guadalajara, north-east of Madrid and Castellón in eastern Spain.

The fire in Ávila, which was ignited following negligent use of heavy machinery devastated 44,000 hectares.

More than 12,000 hectares of forest, scrubland and farmland burned in the space of a week across Greece, according to media reports citing analysis from the European Union's Copernicus programme.