Europe heatwave: Power outages hit France as record heatwave set to peak

www.bbc.com

Alys Davies

Getty Images Tourists arrive at a closed Eiffel tower during a heat waveGetty Images

Tens of thousands of homes in western France are without power, with temperatures set to peak across the country on Wednesday during a record-breaking heatwave.

About 68,000 homes in Brittany have been affected, with electricity unlikely to be fully restored until Wednesday night at the earliest, authorities said.

More than half of the country remains under a red heat alert, with a high of 43C (109.4F) possible later in the day in the southwest, according to forecaster Météo France.

The peak comes after the country experienced its hottest day since records began on Tuesday, with an average temperature of 29.8C (85.54F).

Pissos, in the south-western Landes region, saw a scorching temperature of 44.3C on Tuesday, Météo France said.

The country also experienced its hottest night ever recorded from Monday night into Tuesday, with an average temperature of 29.9C across the country, the forecaster said.

The heatwave spread to other parts of western Europe on Wednesday, with an orange alert for dangerous weather in place for parts of the Netherlands.

A rare red heat alert is in place for parts of the UK, where temperatures could hit 38C on Thursday.

A colour‑shaded weather map of Europe shows forecast maximum temperatures for Wednesday, 24 June 2026. France is depicted in the darkest red tones, indicating the most extreme heat. Several major cities have labelled temperatures: London 32°C, Paris 40°C, Bordeaux 39°C, Berlin 34°C, Rome 35°C, Athens 33°C, and Barcelona 31°C. The map uses a gradient from orange to deep red to show rising heat intensity. The graphic is branded BBC Weather.

Temperatures are expected to peak in the Netherlands and Belgium on Friday, while the mercury in Germany is expected to rise to 40C over the weekend.

The heatwave will also extend to eastern Europe over the next few days, with severe heat warnings issued for countries including Poland, Croatia and Hungary for later in the week.

So far, France, Spain and Italy have been hardest hit by the heatwave.

At least forty people have drowned in heatwave-related incidents in France since last Thursday, according to the prime minister.

On Wednesday, red alerts in France were extended to include four more regions, Météo France said, bringing the total number to 58. Thirty-one more regions are under an orange alert.

Map of France showing heatwave alert levels valid until 24 June 2026. Most of the country, including Paris and Nantes, is shaded dark red for “exceptionally high heat.” Eastern regions around Lyon are orange for “very high heat,” while parts of the far south and Mediterranean coast near Marseille are yellow for “high heat.” A legend at the top explains the colour coding, and major cities are marked and labelled. Source: Météo France, BBC.

As of 05:00 local time, La Rochelle in the southwest had already recorded a temperature of 29C, the forecaster said.

Highs of 39 to 40C are forecast across much of the country's west, from Paris to Brittany, and are expected to remain the same until the weekend.

In Bordeaux, it is possible that the city's all-time record temperature could be broken for a third day running. The previous record was 41.6C on 11 August 2025. But on Monday it reached 41.8C, while on Tuesday it was 42.1C.

Some relief from the heat is expected from Friday, with temperatures forecast to gradually drop over the weekend. This change will come with thunderstorms, bringing a risk of flash flooding and large hail.

Speaking to French radio, labour minister Jean-Pierre Farandou said "we're in the process of finding out we've become a hot country" and warned society may need to adapt.

Authorities warn that the risk of forest fires is higher during such a prolonged and intense heatwave.

In the Maine-et-Loire region, more than 150 firefighters were deployed to fight a major fire on Tuesday in the Breignon forest in Saint-Macaire-du-Bois. It was brought under control overnight, authorities said, with no-one reported injured.

Sights in the French capital Paris have also been impacted by the hot weather.

The world's most visited museum, the Louvre, said it would close its doors earlier this week.

The Louvre said its historic building "remains fragile, external and is not sufficiently adapted to climate change", adding that the "build-up of heat is at its highest at the end of the day, and intensified by the volume of visitors".

The Eiffel Tower is also closing earlier than usual on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Among those who died in heatwave-related drownings was a six-year-old child who had gone to an unsupervised beach with his parents in Bègles, Gironde on Tuesday evening.

A 17-year-old girl also drowned while swimming in a prohibited area of the Marne river in Champs-sur-Marne, on the outskirts of Paris.

Several drownings have also been reported in Germany, including that of a 26-year-old man who died after going into the Danube River near Regensburg in Bavaria on Tuesday evening.

Emergency services spent hours searching for the Syrian man, who could not swim, using a helicopter and boats. Attempts to resuscitate him after he was found some hours later were unsuccessful.

Temperatures are expected to reach 37C on Wednesday in Germany, and people are being warned not to underestimate the dangers of swimming.

There are also fears of drought in some regions. In Brandenburg, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, authorities are urging people to use water sparingly, German newspaper Die Welt reports.

Barbecue bans have also been introduced in cities including Stuttgart and Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, local media report.

While Spain has experienced baking heat over the last few days, temperatures are expected to start falling on the Iberian peninsula on Wednesday.

But red heat alerts remain in place for parts of northern Spain, with a maximum temperature of 42C possible in parts of the Basque country, forecaster Aemet said.

In Italy, meanwhile, 16 provincial capitals are now under red heat alerts, with Latina added to the list on Wednesday, while Bari will be added on Thursday, Italian news agency Ansa said.

Map of Italy showing city-level heat alerts for the next two days. Most of northern and central Italy - including Turin, Milan, Venice, Bologna and Florence - are marked in red, indicating emergency heatwave conditions. Additional red markers extend down much of the peninsula, showing widespread severe heat inland and along both coasts. A few coastal areas, including parts of the north-west and southern mainland, have orange markers for high heat risk. Southern regions and the islands—such as areas around Naples, Sicily and Sardinia including Palermo-mostly show yellow markers, indicating a lower but still likely health risk. The source is the Italian Ministry of Health (24 June 2026).

The Dutch weather service, the KNMI, has issued a Code Orange weather alert, which refers to a "high chance of dangerous weather" in southern and central areas of the Netherlands from Wednesday until at least Friday.

KNMI said maximum temperatures of 37C were expected, while Friday could see the mercury hit 39C.

In Belgium, most of the country is under an orange alert with highs of 37C expected over the next few days.

After meeting on Tuesday, Belgium's Risk Management Group said it was activating the "alert phase of the national ozone and heat plan" for only the second time. The first occasion was in August 2020, although no specific national measures have been announced, other than to raise awareness and call for extra care for the elderly and children.

Maps of Europe showing how temperatures changed from average during May 2026. The left panel (11–19 May) is dominated by light to dark blue shading across most regions, indicating temperatures generally 2°C to 8°C below the 1991–2020 average, especially in western and central Europe. The right panel (21–30 May) switches to widespread light to dark red shading, showing temperatures 2°C to 8°C above average across much of the continent, with the strongest warmth in France, the UK, Spain and central Europe. A horizontal colour bar ranges from −8°C (dark blue) to +8°C (dark red). Captions below note that conditions shifted from cooler than average to hotter than average within two weeks, illustrating a rapid transition into heatwave conditions.

Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world - but particularly in Europe. It is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.

This is causing increased summer heatwaves, greater pressure on Europe's water supply, and more intense wildfires. Last year, more than one million hectares burnt across Europe - a record level - with Spain particularly affected.