People in France are dying from heat as Europe bakes

At least 18 people have died in France amid a severe heatwave sweeping across Europe, with temperatures shattering records in multiple cities on Monday. Among the victims were two young children, aged 2 and 4, who were found unresponsive in a car in southeastern France.

As French schools adjusted schedules or closed early, UK forecasters warned that Britain could see its highest June temperatures on record this week. In Bordeaux, temperatures climbed to 41.9°C (107.4°F), surpassing last year’s peak, while Poitiers hit 41.2°C, exceeding a high set in 1947.

In Spain’s usually milder northern city of San Sebastian, thermometers neared 40°C—more than twice the historical average for June 22, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor, which showed Europe deviating further from normal temperatures than any other continent that day. A World Meteorological Organization report from April noted that Europe is warming more than twice as fast as the global average.

In Carpentras, a prosecutor said emergency responders were unable to revive the two children discovered by their mother in a parked vehicle. Additionally, three elderly individuals, between 80 and 95 years old, died in the Bordeaux region over the weekend due to heat-related health complications, according to local official Sophie Brocas.

With 13 drowning incidents reported from Sunday into Monday, French civil safety authorities urged the public to swim only in monitored areas. Last year, drownings rose 172% during heatwaves as people sought relief in water.

The current weather pattern, known as an Omega block due to its resemblance to the Greek letter Ω, features a dome of hot air trapped between cooler zones, explained Clair Barnes, a climate and extreme weather researcher at Imperial College London. “It’s pulling in hot air from North Africa and the Sahara, leading to this intense, stagnant heat with little to no wind,” she said. Climate change, she added, is amplifying both heatwaves and storms, driving higher temperatures and heavier rainfall.

Britain’s Met Office predicted temperatures could exceed 39°C during a four-day spell, well above the previous June record of 35.6°C set in 1957 and matched in 1976. Just weeks earlier, the UK had broken its May temperature record. “Thirty-six degrees is going to feel unbearable,” said data scientist Lewis Jennings, walking through central London.

Preliminary data from Meteo-France indicated Paris would reach 38.4°C, a record for June. “We’re seeing temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above average, and in some northern regions, even more,” said Rubén del Campo, spokesperson for Spain’s AEMET meteorological agency.

Italy issued red-level heat alerts for 12 cities on Monday. In Turin, utility company Iren doubled staff shifts and deployed backup generators to manage power outages caused by strain on the grid.

Extreme rooftop heat—reaching up to 60°C in some places—is endangering birds like swifts, swallows, sparrows, and starlings that nest under eaves, said Romaine de Jaegere, founder of a wildlife rehabilitation center in Temploux, Belgium.

“They’re jumping from nests to escape being cooked alive,” she said, noting the shelter had taken in 150 animals in the past three days.

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Original Article Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/temperatures-exceed-40c-european-heatwave-three-die-france-2026-06-22/