France heat: record 573 weather stations top 40C

A record 573 weather stations in mainland France reached or exceeded 40C this summer, according to an AFP analysis of Meteo-France data.

The analysis covered 1,300 stations that have been operating since before 2000. The number passing 40C was above the 292 stations recorded during the 2003 heatwave summer and the 394 that reached the mark in 2019.

More than 80 stations recorded 40C for the first time since records began, including two stations in Strasbourg and stations in Metz, Alencon, Mulhouse and Tarbes.

In Neuvy-Saint-Sepulchre, an Indre village whose station has operated since 1909, the temperature reached 40C seven times between June 21 and 29 and peaked at 41.8C. It rose again to 40.4C on August 13 and 14.

The nearby Pruniers station recorded 18 days above 40C in 2026, including seven consecutive days in late June. Across all stations studied, temperatures of 40C or above were recorded on 2,153 cumulative station-days, compared with the previous record of 966 in 2003.