France records ‘hottest summer ever’ in 2026

France joins other European countries in recording its hottest summer since measurements began.

Pedestrians walk through water mists during a heatwave in central France [File: Olivier Chassignole/AFP]

France has recorded its hottest summer ever in 2026, joining Belgium, Britain and Ireland as temperatures soar in Europe, the globe’s fastest-warming continent.

“We have just lived through the hottest summer ever recorded since measurements began in 1900,” French Environment Minister Monique Barbut said on Thursday at a presentation of the summer climate report.

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France has endured multiple severe heatwaves this year, including one in late June that set a new intensity record.

The country saw an unprecedented 2,025 excess deaths recorded during the heatwave, with a particular increase in deaths among people aged over 45, said French Health Minister Stephanie Rist.

Another heatwave stretched from late July into August, matching a 23-day record previously set in 1983.

During this time, France was hit by several major wildfires, even in normally cooler and wetter regions.

According to the national weather agency Meteo France, the summer was marked by very low rainfall, with a deficit of nearly 40 percent, making it the second driest since records began.

Meteo France said the summer of 2026 recorded an average temperature of 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit), which is 3.6C (6.5F) above the normal average.

“The summer of 2026 will go down in history,” Barbut said.

“The question we must now ask ourselves is how it will be remembered … As the first in a long series of summers that continue to break records. Or as a moment when we rose to the challenge of adaptation and mitigation,” by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, she added.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu tasked Barbut in late July with presenting new measures to speed up implementation of France’s national climate change adaptation plan.

On Thursday, she promised conclusions “by the end of September”, including a five-year funding plan.

Millions in France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe experienced extreme temperatures this summer.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

法国与其他欧洲国家一样，经历了有记录以来最热的夏季。

法国中部遭遇热浪，行人走过水雾。[图片：Olivier Chassignole/法新社]

2026年，法国经历了有史以来最热的夏季，与比利时、英国和爱尔兰一起，欧洲气温飙升，成为全球变暖速度最快的大陆。

“我们刚刚经历了自 1900 年开始测量以来最热的夏天，”法国环境部长莫妮克·巴尔布特周四在夏季气候报告发布会上说。

监测机构称，西欧6月和7月是该国历史上最热的3个月份之一。

欧洲遭遇最新一波极端高温，酷暑难耐（共3条记录，此为第2条）

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法国今年遭受了多次严重热浪侵袭，其中包括6月下旬创下强度新纪录的热浪。

法国卫生部长斯蒂芬妮·里斯特表示，该国在热浪期间出现了前所未有的2025例超额死亡，其中45岁以上人群的死亡人数尤其增加。

另一波热浪从7月下旬一直持续到8月，与1983年创下的23天纪录持平。

在此期间，法国遭受了多起重大野火袭击，甚至在通常较为凉爽潮湿的地区也未能幸免。

据法国国家气象局（Meteo France）称，今年夏季降雨量极低，比往年同期少了近 40%，成为有记录以来第二干旱的夏季。

法国气象局表示，2026 年夏季的平均气温为 24 摄氏度（75 华氏度），比正常平均气温高出 3.6 摄氏度（6.5 华氏度）。

“2026 年的夏天将载入史册，”巴布特说。

“我们现在必须扪心自问的问题是，人们会如何记住它……是将其视为一系列不断打破纪录的夏季的开端，还是将其视为我们通过减少温室气体排放来应对适应和减缓挑战的时刻？”她补充道。

7 月下旬，法国总理塞巴斯蒂安·勒科尔努 (Sebastien Lecornu) 指示巴尔布 (Barbut) 提出新措施，加快法国国家气候变化适应计划的实施。

周四，她承诺“在九月底之前”得出结论，其中包括一项五年资金计划。

今年夏天，法国、意大利、西班牙、英国和欧洲其他地区的数百万人经历了极端高温天气。

根据欧盟哥白尼气候变化服务中心的数据，欧洲是世界上变暖速度最快的洲，自 20 世纪 80 年代以来，其气温上升速度是全球平均水平的两倍。