The environment minister said that France experienced its hottest summer since records began in 1900. “We have just experienced the hottest summer recorded since measurements began in 1900,” Monique Barbut said during a presentation of a report on summer climate, which for meteorologists covers the period from June to August.
France joined Belgium and Britain, both of which also recorded their hottest summers after a season that brought abnormal heat to Europe — a continent warming faster than any other in the world. Scientists say that human‑caused climate change has made extreme weather events more intense and frequent.
Record heat and wildfires
France endured several severe heatwaves, including one at the end of June that set a new record for intensity.
Another heatwave, lasting from late July into August, set a record for duration — it lasted 23 days. The previous record was set in 1983. During this period, France also suffered from several large wildfires.
“The summer of 2026 will go down in history,” the minister said. “The question we must now ask ourselves is how it will be remembered… as the first in a long series of summers that continue to break records, or as the moment when we rose to the challenge of adapting to and mitigating climate change,” she added, referring to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
According to: The Local Europe
