A severe heatwave gripped western Europe this week, driving temperatures to levels rarely seen so early in the summer, overwhelming health and power systems, and prompting some of the most extensive heat warnings the region has issued in years.
Records fall in France and Spain
France registered its hottest day since national measurements began in 1947, according to state forecaster Météo-France, with the country's nationwide temperature indicator peaking overnight from Monday into Tuesday. At the local level, the town of Pissos in the Landes department of southwest France recorded 44.3C (111.7F) on June 23, Al Jazeera reported.
Across the border, Spain saw even higher peaks. The southern town of Andújar reached 45.1C (113.2F) on June 22, and the national weather agency AEMET reported temperatures above 45C across much of the south.
A deadly toll
Authorities have linked dozens of deaths to the heat. In France, at least 40 people have drowned since the previous Thursday while seeking relief in rivers, lakes and the sea, deaths that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu connected directly to the soaring temperatures. Three elderly people died of heat-related causes near Bordeaux, and two children, aged two and four, were found dead in a parked car in the south of the country.
In Spain, a 90-year-old woman died of heatstroke at a nursing home near Bilbao and a 68-year-old man died in Almería, according to Al Jazeera. Health officials across the region warned that the most vulnerable — the elderly, the very young and people with chronic illness — face the gravest risk, and that the full toll often becomes clear only after a heat episode passes.
Grids and transport under strain
The sustained heat tested infrastructure built for milder summers. A heat-related transformer failure in France's northwestern Finistère department cut power to tens of thousands of households, and rail operators reported disruption as tracks and overhead lines struggled in the heat.
French authorities placed 54 of the country's departments — roughly half — under a red heatwave alert, the highest tier, closing or shortening hours at hundreds of schools. Major tourist sites adjusted their schedules as crowds and staff alike sought shade.
A continent warming faster than the world
Scientists have repeatedly flagged Europe as especially exposed to extreme heat. According to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, the continent has been warming at roughly twice the global average rate since the 1980s, lengthening and intensifying heatwaves.
Health authorities offered consistent advice as the episode continued: stay indoors during the hottest afternoon hours, drink water regularly, avoid unsupervised swimming, and check on elderly or isolated neighbours. Forecasters cautioned that the heat would ease only gradually as the week ended.
