More than half of France’s population is under a severe weather warning as large swathes of western Europe endure the second extreme heat event of the year, with temperatures expected to exceed 40C (104F).
The French president called for “extreme vigilance”, urging people to “take care of our oldest and most vulnerable people” and follow government advice. “We are going through difficult days,” Emmanuel Macron said.
A 30-year-old man died after going into cardiac arrest on an athletics track near Paris on Thursday as the temperature reached 37C. The rail operator SNCF cancelled 71 intercity trains, while schools rescheduled exams.
Météo-France extended its orange heatwave alert to 60 of the country’s 96 mainland departments – home to about 41 million people – on Friday and Saturday, warning of a “widespread, prolonged and intense” heatwave.
The national weather service said several more departments could be added over the weekend and that some alerts could be raised to red, the highest level. “In terms of duration and severity, this event could equal that of August 2003,” it said.
The 2003 heatwave was France’s worst on record, with temperatures above 40C for nearly a fortnight. More than 14,800 people, most of them elderly care home residents, died, leading to a government heatwave planaimed at preventing a repeat.
Although astronomical summer does not begin until Sunday, France is already experiencing its second extreme temperature event of 2026, after an unusually hot spell in May shattered local and national monthly temperature records.
Météo-France said temperatures were likely to average 36C in the north-west and 39C in central and southern regions on Friday. After a slight dip on Saturday, they are forecast to rise to 40C in many regions, including Paris, early next week.
With so much of the country affected, the agency said the national heat index, an average of day and night temperatures recorded at 30 weather stations nationwide, could approach a record high on Sunday and Monday.
The power utility EDF has said four nuclear plants were likely to curb output next week because of unusually warm cooling water in the Rhône and Garonne rivers. Meanwhile, several municipalities have cancelled Sunday’s Fête de la Musique festivities.
A spokesperson for Spain’s state meteorological office, Aemet, said temperatures would reach 40C as the country entered “an episode of persistently high temperatures likely to meet the technical threshold for a heatwave”.
Rubén del Campo said it was likely to exceed 35C across the Iberian peninsular and Balearic Islands, climbing to 40C in southern areas – including the Tagus, Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys, as well as in eastern Cantabria and the Ebro valley in the north.
The heatwave could persist until Wednesday or Thursday, after which temperatures are expected to fall. However, it could remain “very hot” across much of the country, with overnight lows remaining above 25C in many areas.
Temperatures in south-west Germany are forecast to rise to 36C by the weekend, prompting authorities to issue heat warnings even at altitudes of 600 metres (2,000ft). The DWD weather service also forecast heavy thunderstorms and downpours.
The agency advised people to avoid strenuous physical activity where possible, regardless of fitness level, and urged non-swimmers to take extra care after a series of drownings during hot spells.
A hitzefrei (heat-free) day was declared for Friday, with lessons cut short and pupils sent home early as school buildings became uncomfortably hot.
