Monuments in Paris are working on reduced hours, and dozens of people in France have drowned during the heat wave. Britain, France, Italy and Spain have issued red alerts and health warnings. More on DW.
What you need to know
France's national weather service reports an all time high average daily temperature
France and Germany record numerous drownings over the weekend
Two children discovered dead in car in France during scorching temperatures
Italy urges people to avoid sun exposure and strenuous outdoor activity
Britain's Met Office issues rare red warning for heat starting Wednesday
Follow along for more through the day and this week for the latest developments on the June 2026 European heatwave:
France measures hottest day since records began
France's national weather agency, Meteo-France, said Tuesday was the hottest day ever recorded since 1947, with the average of daytime and nighttime temperatures across 30 stations reaching 29.8 degrees Celsius (85.6° F), according to provisional data.
Daytime highs above 40° C (104° F) were also recorded in many individual weather stations, the agency added.
This included preliminary readings of 44.3 degrees Celsius in the Atlantic coast town of Pissos on Tuesday afternoon.
The previous record of 29.4°C (84.9°F) dated back to heat waves of August 2003 and July 2019.
The record-breaking day comes after the hottest night France has experienced since record-keeping began in 1947, according to an X post from Meteo-France earlier Tuesday.
The night from Monday into Tuesday saw the average temperature compiled from 30 record-keeping stations reach 21.6 degrees Celsius (70.8 F).
"As of noon this Tuesday, 54 departments are under a red heatwave alert—another unprecedented situation," the post said.
According to Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, 40 people have drowned since the heat wave set in on Thursday, many of them minors.
Louve reduces hours due to extreme heat
The Lourve Museum will reduce its operating hours due to the heate wave in Paris.
From Tuesday until Saturday, the famed art gallery will close two hours early at 4 p.m.
"Due to the extremely high temperatures starting [...] we encourage you to adjust the pace of your visit and protect yourself from the heat," the museum said in a statement.
"Take your time, wear light clothing, and stay hydrated!"
The museum added: "Some galleries may be closed during the heat wave to protect the artworks."
Red Cross calls heat wave 'a matter of life and death' for the elderly
The heat wave engulfing swathes of Europe poses serious health risks for the most vulnerable members of society, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Tuesday afternoon.
"The coming days pose serious health risks," Mary Friel, the IFRC's senior climate policy officer, told a press conference in Geneva.
"For thousands of people across Europe, extreme temperatures, without action, can quickly become a matter of life and death."
According to the IFRC, elderly people, children, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses, outdoor workers and homeless people usually suffer the "most extreme impacts" of heat waves.
"IFRC is urging people to take this heatwave seriously and to look out for those most at risk to save lives," Friel said.
She added that climate change and the extreme heat that follows had become "one of the defining humanitarian challenges of our time."
How to stay healthy in hot weather — In Good Shape
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Eiffel Tower closes early due to heat wave
As Paris sees temperatures of up to 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit), the Eiffel Tower announced that it will close early at early at 4 p.m. instead of the usual closing time of midnight.
"Due to the high temperatures forecast, the Eiffel Tower will be adjusting its operations," the landmark's operator said.
"Remember to protect yourself from the sun and stay hydrated. Water fountains are available in the walkways leading to the plaza," the statement added.
Visitors with tickets from early afternoon onwards will be automatically refunded. Those who have not yet purchased tickets have been asked to postpone their visit.
Dozens of UK schools close due to heat
Dozens of schools in England and Wales said they would close early on Tuesday due to the warm weather.
Some of them said they would remain shut for two or more days. The UK Met Office has issued a rare red alert for Wednesday and Thursday.
"Most of our buildings cannot be cooled adequately and there is little shade outside," one school in southeastern Buckinghamshire said.
In addition to the health dangers, the extreme heat also makes it difficult to learn.
"During the hottest days, teachers can barely teach, let alone students learn," a teacher in London told The Independent .
British meteorologists have pointed to climate change as a key cause for the extreme heat that older school buildings simply aren't equipped for.
"To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering," said Met Office chief scientist Stephen Belcher.
"Human induced climate change has made events like this more likely and more intense."
UN chief says London 'is cooking'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of extreme urban heat during an address at London Climate Action Week on Tuesday.
"London isn’t just calling. It's cooking," he told the audience.
Guterres linked the energy crisis that has dominated headlines this year with the climate crisis and ongoing extreme heat.
“A climate crisis is pushing us deeper toward higher temperatures and closer to catastrophic tipping points and an energy crisis exposing the folly of a world hooked on hydrocarbons," he said.
"On the surface, these crises may seem separate, but they share the same destructive origin: fossil fuels."
Most of Spain under heat warning
Most of Spain was under a heart warning on Tuesday, with the highest-level red alerts issued for a number of cities like Cordoba and Bilbao.
Spain's national weather agency AEMET warned of "extraordinary danger" in and around the southern city of Cordoba.
It also issued the same warning for several regions in the north, where such heat waves are less common.
Temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the shade were forecast in parts of the Basque Country, while the neighboring region of Cantabria was also under a red alert.
"We are seeing temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees above normal for this time of year, and in some northern areas even more than 10 degrees above average," an AEMET spokesperson said earlier.
The heat wave in Spain began on Sunday and is expected to last until at least Thursday.
Dozens drown in France as people seek respite from heat
Dozens of people have drowned in France in recent days as people attempt to cool off during the heat wave.
Speaking after a crisis cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said some 40 deaths had been recorded since last Thursday.
Meanwhile, Sports Minister Marina Ferrari said many drownings occurred over the weekend in particular.
"There have been around 20 deaths since last weekend," Ferrari told France Inter radio on Tuesday.
"To go swimming in unauthorised areas, during a heatwave, is not something to take lightly."
Neighboring Germany also recorded a number of drownings over the weekend.
Frances braces for 'record-breaking,' 'oppressive' and 'exhausting' heat
France's national weather service placed 54 departments across the country on red alert on Tuesday.
Daytime highs are expected to surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many towns throughout the rest of the week.
"Sunshine continues to dominate across France, maintaining oppressive and exhausting heat throughout the country," Meteo France said.
"Further record-breaking temperatures are expected, including some that could surpass all previous records, regardless of the time of year," it added.
France's heat wave has arrived exceptionally early in the summer. It is already being compared to the August 2003 heat wave that caused an estimated 15,000 deaths, many of whom were older people living in apartments and retirement homes in a country without widespread air conditioning.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to chair a crisis meeting on the heat wave with cabinet ministers on Tuesday morning.
Italy declares heat red alert in 15 cities, recommends eating pasta
Italy's Health Ministry issued the highest-level heat wave warning in 15 cities on Tuesday.
Cities including Rome, Milan, Turin and Venice were subjected to a level 3 red dot on the national heat wave bulletin .
Official advice from the Italian Health Ministry during a red alert includes spending time in airconditioned public places, avoiding direct sun exposure and strenuous outdoor physical activity, wearing high-SPF sunscreen, and eating lightly — with pasta and fish explicitly recommended over heavier options like meat.
The warm weather is expected to continue for at least another day, with another red alert being issued for 16 cities on Wednesday.
How did Romans beat the heat 100 years ago?
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Rising temperatures increasing risk of forest fires in Germany
Rising temperatures are increasing the chances of forest fires in Germany , especially in the south and east, the national meteorological service said.
Currently only some regions — including Brandenburg, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg — are at level 4 out of 5, indicating high-risk of wildfires.
From Wednesday, the German Meterological Service (DWD) predicts greater forest fire risk for large parts of southern and eastern Germany.
The situation could deteriorate further as the week goes on.
For Thursday and Friday, meteorologists predict the highest danger level in several regions, including areas west of Berlin.
Heat alone does not cause fire, but high temperatures, dry conditions, low humidity strongly influence the spread of fire.
A significant proportion of forest fires is caused by arson , due to economic motives and personal gain.
Mexico, Italy and others see up to two more months of heat stress than in the 1970s, study says
Mexico, Kenya, Italy and other nations around the world are experiencing one to two more months of heat stress than they were several decades ago, a new study published Monday said.
Heat stress and extreme feels-like temperatures have become more frequent and severe over the past six decades because of an acceleration of global warming, according to the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change .
The researchers went beyond temperatures and studied feels-like temperatures to understand more of the impact on people.
They assessed heat stress on individual humans, influenced by temperature, humidity, and more.
Regions previously untouched by heat stress are now feeling it too.
According to the study, the feels-like temperatures on the ten warmest nights of each year have also increased faster — 0.32 degrees Celsius (0.58 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade — than the ten warmest days, 0.27 degrees Celsius (0.49 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade.
For tropical nights, the researchers considered minimum temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). This means people might not be recovering properly from daytime heat in the overnight hours.
And now, one billion more people face at least one day of extreme heat stress each year than they did in the 1970s.
Hot weather leads to weekend drownings, say German lifeguards
The German Life Saving Association (DLRG), the largest volunteer lifeguard association in the world, says it registered six drowning deaths over the weekend, and three were recorded last Thursday alone, as people sought relief from extreme heat .
"Unfortunately, fears of repeated deadly accidents were not unfounded," said a DLRG spokesperson on Monday, noting that more cases could be registered after the fact.
The DLRG regularly warns of the dangers of drowning in Germany's pools, ponds, lakes and rivers.
The DLRG said one group in particular, men, and more specifically young men, consistently put themselves in harm's way.
"Over and over we see men overestimating their abilities and putting themselves in risk situations that are easily avoidable," said DLRG President Ute Vogt.
In 2025, men accounted for four-in-five drowning deaths — 82%.
All of the six individuals who drowned over the weekend were men ranging in age from 19 to 53.
Four more individuals, also men, remain missing.
Beyond lack of swimming skills, the DLRG also made clear that people should not simply jump into cold water when they are hot, but enter slowly to allow the body to adjust to potentially extreme temperature differences.
Moreover, the DLRG recommends always swimming in monitored swimming areas and warns against swimming alone.
France set to break June temperature record, with some areas topping 40C
Temperatures in France on Monday have shattered records, according to weather service Meteo-France.
Meteo-France, citing provisional data, said France's national heat index, the average of the day and night-time highs measured at 30 weather stations around the country, hit 29.2 degrees Celsius (84.5 F) on Monday, the highest level ever recorded in June. The previous high was reached June 30 of last year.
All-time heat records were also shattered on Monday, with the temperature in Bordeaux, located in the southwestern wine country, hitting 41.9 degrees Celsius (107.4 F), breaking a record set last August.
Poitiers in central France reached 41.2 C, beating a previous high set in 1947.
Paris sweat through its hottest-ever night for June, with the temperature not getting below 24.2 Celsius (75.5 F). The French capital broke another June record with 37.7 C (99.9 F) recorded Monday afternoon.
Over the weekend, authorities banned the sale of alcohol for the the Fete de la Musique street parties taking place in Paris, and cities around the country.
The French weather agency warned that the current heat wave would continue to be "widespread, long-lasting and intense," with temperatures expected to remain high through at least the end of the week.
Meteorologists say that of the 51 heatwaves recorded in the country since 1947, 34 have taken place since 2000 — and 26 since 2011.
The current heat wave, they warn, could ultimately rival one that killed 15,000 people in France in August 2003.
At least 18 people have died so far in France in connection with the current round of extreme heat, including two children left in a car.
Could temperatures in Germany reach 40°C?
Like much of Europe, Germany is set to continue baking throughout this week with the country in the grip of a major heatwave.
On Sunday, the German Meteorological Service (DWD) said that the usually cooler regions in the north of the country would be affected and even predicted that temperatures could reach 40°C (104°F) in certain parts of the southwest.
The intense heat brings with it an increased chance of severe storms, as in Berlin , where the fire brigade attended around 160 call-outs over the weekend.
Trees were blown over and some of the 300 stages hosting the "Fete de la Musique" music festival across the city were damaged but, fortunately, no serious accidents or injuries were reported.
However, there was one fatality in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt where sudden torrents of rain caused a motorway accident in which a driver lost control of a vehicle. One woman died and four other passengers were injured.
According to the DWD, temperatures are not expected to drop until next week.