The UK recorded its hottest June day on record on Wednesday, as a heatwave sweeping western Europe brought unprecedented temperatures and red heat alerts to tens of millions of people.
Temperatures soared to 36.1C (97F) in Gosport, Hampshire, surpassing the previous June record. Forecasters warned they could hit 38C on Thursday. The heatwave triggered a rare red heat alert across parts of the UK, while in France more than half the country remained under similar warnings after the nation experienced its hottest day ever on Wednesday.
“UK records hottest June day as Europe heatwave brings record highs, with warnings such temperatures could become the new normal.”
France's national temperature indicator – an average of day and night readings across dozens of locations – reached 30C, the highest since records began in 1947. The mercury hit 43C in the Poitou-Charentes-Val de Loire region, just shy of Tuesday's 44.3C in Pissos. The intense heat forced the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower to close early. A Louvre spokesperson said the building was "not sufficiently adapted to climate change".
At least 40 people have drowned in heatwave-related incidents in France since Thursday, including a six-year-old child at a beach in Bègles, Gironde. Authorities warned of heightened forest fire risks. In the Maine-et-Loire region, more than 150 firefighters were deployed to fight a major fire in the Breignon forest, which was brought under control overnight.
Labour minister Jean-Pierre Farandou said France was "in the process of finding out we've become a hot country" and warned society may need to adapt.
The heatwave extended across other parts of western Europe, with Spain recording its highest daily average temperature since 1950. Climate change is a driving factor: according to the Copernicus climate service, Europe is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average. This is causing more intense summer heatwaves and putting greater pressure on water supplies.
Climatologists are predicting that these extreme temperatures could become the new normal for summer in many regions over the next few decades. Some relief is expected from Friday, with temperatures set to gradually drop.