Heat wave in Europe: France has 40 drowning deaths and temperature records
Since last Thursday, France has recorded forty deaths from drowning, a direct effect of the intense heat wave that is ravaging the country. The information was confirmed by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, at a time when several European cities are facing historic temperatures and the peak of extreme heat.
The Minister of Sports and Youth, Marina Ferrari, in an interview with a radio station in France, appealed to the population to avoid swimming in unmonitored places. She emphasized the seriousness of the dangers amid high temperatures.
So far, France, Spain and Italy stand out as the nations most impacted by the climate phenomenon. On Tuesday, the French territory experienced the hottest June day ever, with the average temperature reaching 29.8°C.
According to data from Météo France, Monday marked the hottest night ever observed, with an average minimum temperature of 21.6°C. Currently, more than half of the country remains under red alert for intense heat.
The Météo France alert map, valid until June 24, 2026, illustrates the severity of the situation. Much of France, including metropolises such as Paris and Nantes, is under deep red alert, meaning “exceptionally high heat”. Regions to the east, around Lyon, are in orange (“very high heat”), while portions of the far south and the Mediterranean coast, near Marseille, are on yellow alert (“high heat”).
In the neighboring country, Spain, projections indicate that thermometers could exceed 40°C in certain regions. Red alerts were issued for Andalusia in the south and Cantabria and the Basque Country in the north, marking the third consecutive day of a sweeping heatwave.
Spain stands out as one of the European nations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The national meteorological service, Aemet, revealed that heat waves during June have become more frequent: between 2000 and 2025, ten events were recorded on the Spanish mainland, contrasting with just two cases in the immediately previous 25 years, highlighting a worrying acceleration.
In Italy, fifteen cities, including large centers such as Rome, Milan, Florence, Turin and Venice, are on red heat wave alert. This alert level indicates that current weather conditions may pose risks to the health of healthy adults, beyond the most vulnerable groups, such as the elderly or individuals with pre-existing medical conditions.
The heat alerts in Italy, detailed at municipal level for the next three days, reveal a worrying scenario. Much of the north and center of the country, encompassing cities such as Turin, Milan, Venice, Bologna and Florence, is in red, indicating an emergency situation due to the heat wave. Large swaths of the peninsula also display red markers, denoting widespread intense heat. Meanwhile, some coastal areas in the northwest and south have orange markers, signaling high risk, and southernmost regions and islands, such as Sicily and Sardinia, show yellow alerts, indicating a likely but lower intensity health risk.
The French Sports Minister reinforced that a significant number of individuals seek relief from the heat in rivers and canals. However, this search for refreshment often ignores the dangers inherent in these waters.
Among the confirmed deaths is that of a 13-year-old teenager. She drowned in the River Seine in Fontaine-La Port on Sunday night during an outing with her family, despite having no swimming skills.
In another serious incident, a young professional athlete was rescued from the River Rhône, near Lyon, and hospitalized in critical condition. Emergency teams acted to save four young people in trouble, all in a section of the river where swimming is strictly prohibited.
Two more deaths in France, which occurred on Monday, were also associated with high temperatures. They are two children, aged two and four, who were discovered lifeless inside the family vehicle, parked in the city of Carpentras, located in the southern region.
Germany has also reported several fatal cases of drowning, in a context where temperatures in the west and southwest of the country are projected to reach 40°C by the end of the week.
The German Water Rescue Association (DLRG) announced that, between Friday and Sunday, there were six water incidents with fatal victims. The organization highlighted that, especially men, underestimated their limits when entering the water. On the Rhine River, near Biblis, in the southwest, three bodies were located days after the disappearance of three men, aged 23, 27 and 50, in different areas of the watercourse.
In southwestern France, the Golfech nuclear plant had to be shut down on the night of June 22. The measure was taken due to “environmental restrictions”, as documented by AFP via Getty Images, showing a photo of the installation.
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In fact, the Golfech nuclear power plant, located in the southwest region of France, was deactivated on Monday night. The cause was the rise in temperature of the Garonne River, essential for its cooling.
Forecasts from Aemet, the Spanish meteorological service, indicate that temperatures could exceed 44°C in rural areas close to Córdoba, in the south of the country, this Tuesday. In the Ebro Valley, northeast, temperatures can exceed 42°C. Already on Monday, 101 of Aemet’s 828 weather stations recorded 40°C or more, with a peak of 45°C in Andújar.
According to Rubén del Campo, Aemet spokesperson, in a statement to the Spanish press, there are clear signs that heat waves are occurring more frequently at the beginning of summer, compared to past decades.
The Italian government reactivated emergency actions to protect workers exposed to the sun. The initiative aims to protect rural and construction professionals, exempting them from the obligation to work during periods of greater heat intensity.
Companies that choose to suspend or reduce their activities due to severe heat waves now have access to state support. This aid covers the granting of unpaid leave to its employees.
Analysis of European maps, which detail the variation in temperatures in May 2026 in relation to the average, highlights an abrupt climate transition. In the first half of the month (11 to 19 May), blue tones predominated, indicating temperatures of 2°C to 8°C below the historical average in much of Europe. However, in the second half (21 to 30 May), the predominance of red tones signaled an increase of 2°C to 8°C above average, with the most intense heat recorded in France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Central Europe, illustrating a rapid escalation to heatwave conditions in just two weeks.
Météo France announced that the red alert, previously applied to 54 departments, would be extended to 58 of the country’s 96 metropolitan departments on Wednesday afternoon. The measure includes several regions in northwest France, highlighting the persistence of the heat wave.
Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France region, which encompasses the capital Paris, issued an appeal to the population to avoid traveling and prioritize remote work. She warned about the risks of interruptions to public transport, explaining that “the railway tracks cannot withstand temperatures above 50°C”, which will cause “a lot of inconvenience”.
The iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris said it would bring forward its closure on Tuesday. The decision was made due to the high temperatures projected for the capital. Instead of the usual time of 00:45, the monument closed its activities at 16:00 (14:00 GMT), with the last admission at 00:15. Last year, approximately 6.75 million visitors visited the site.
The Louvre, recognized as the most visited museum globally, also adjusted its operations. The institution announced the postponement of closing times, from 6pm to 4pm, from Wednesday to Saturday. The justification is that the historic building “remains fragile and insufficiently adapted to climate change”, with “heat accumulation being greater at the end of the day and intensified by the number of visitors”.
High temperatures also resulted in the halting of operations at a nuclear plant in southwestern France on Monday night. The forecast indicated that the water in the Garonne River would reach 28°C on Tuesday, the maximum limit allowed by French legislation for cooling the reactors at the Golfech plant.
Meteorologists in Spain predict a decrease in temperatures in the Iberian Peninsula from Wednesday. However, the peak of the heatwave is expected on Friday in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The Dutch meteorological service, KNMI, has issued a Code Orange warning for the southern and central regions. The warning, valid from Wednesday to Friday, indicates a “high probability of hazardous weather conditions”.
In Belgium, the Risk Management Group, after a meeting on Tuesday, activated for the second time the “alert phase of the national ozone and heat plan”. The first occurrence was in August 2020. Despite the activation, no specific national measures were announced, in addition to awareness campaigns and a request for increased attention to the elderly and children.
Climate change is a global factor in rising temperatures, but Europe is particularly affected. According to the Copernicus climate service, the continent is warming at an accelerated rate, twice as fast as the global average, intensifying extreme events such as the current heat wave.
This thermal rise results in summers with more intense heat waves, generating greater pressure on European water resources and causing severe forest fires. The previous year, Europe recorded a record, with more than 1 million hectares consumed by fire, and Spain was especially hard hit.
