France saw hottest June since records began: weather service

France last month recorded its hottest June since records began in 1947 with a heatwave that saw temperatures spike above 40C in many areas, the weather service said Friday.

French people experienced an average temperature of 22.7C, 3.8C above seasonal norms for 1991 to 2020, Meteo-France said.

The heatwave, the second of the year, led to higher death rates, as well as schools being closed and festivals cancelled.

"Unprecedented temperatures, both day and night, affected more than a third of the country" during the heatwave from June 17 to 30, it said.

"During this historic episode, temperatures of 40C were exceeded at least once over more than 40 percent of the country," it added.

The average temperatures on June 24 and 25, 2026, were the highest ever recorded in France, all months combined.