France experienced its hottest meteorological summer since national measurements began in 1900, Météo-France reported on September 3. The average temperature across June, July and August reached 24.0 degrees Celsius, 3.6 degrees above the 1991-2020 norm and well ahead of the previous exceptional summers of 2003 and 2022, whose anomalies were 2.7 and 2.3 degrees respectively.
The national weather service counted three heatwaves lasting a combined 53 days, compared with the previous seasonal high of 33 days in 2022. The first, from June 17 to 30, was the most intense measured since 1947. At its peak on June 24, 72 departments faced the highest red heat alert and 40 percent of mainland France exceeded 40 degrees.
Weather stations in the main observing network registered temperatures of at least 40 degrees on 178 occasions, more than twice the 88 crossings recorded in 2003. Strasbourg, Metz, Alençon, Noirmoutier, Tarbes and Marignane reached that threshold for the first time. Daily national averages of 30 degrees on June 24 and 25 were the highest for any day in the record.
Extreme heat coincided with a nationwide rainfall deficit of nearly 40 percent, making 2026 the second-driest French summer since precipitation records began in 1959. Much of the country saw only 15 to 20 rain days, against a normal 20 to 30, and national soil dryness reached an unprecedented level in early August before late-month rain brought only uneven, limited relief.
The dry vegetation, persistent heat and periods of strong wind intensified fire danger from Brittany to Corsica. Météo-France said the season was the most severe for forest fires on record, with 27 days when at least one department faced the highest fire-danger level and 74 consecutive days with at least one department at high danger. Sea-surface temperatures also set records along every mainland and Corsican coastline.
Météo-France assessed that a summer of this intensity would have been almost impossible without human-caused climate change, although it remains rare even in the present climate. The agency also recorded more than 20 percent extra sunshine nationwide, the highest summer total observed. It warned that persistent vegetation dryness could extend the fire season into September despite recent rain, while the findings add pressure for stronger preparation for heat, water stress and ecosystem damage.
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