The French territory is preparing to face another period of high temperatures, with more than half of its regions on red alert for intense heat this Wednesday.
In western Brittany, tens of thousands of homes were left without electricity, while a vast forest fire in the Maine-et-Loire area was contained overnight.
This scenario follows Tuesday, when the nation experienced the hottest June day on record, with the average temperature reaching 29.8°C (85.54°F).
The hot air mass is expected to move to other Western European nations this Wednesday, with some areas of the Netherlands already under an orange alert for hazardous weather conditions.
The Netherlands and Belgium are expected to record the highest temperature peaks on Friday, and in Germany, thermometers could reach 40°C (104°F) over the weekend.
In the coming days, the heat wave will extend to eastern Europe, with intense heat warnings already issued for nations such as Poland, Croatia and Hungary, valid until the end of the week.
France, Spain and Italy are, so far, the nations most impacted by this prolonged heat wave.
The French Prime Minister reported that forty people lost their lives due to drowning in incidents linked to the heat wave in the country since last Thursday.
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In La Rochelle, in the southwest of the country, thermometers were already showing 29°C at 5am local time, with the possibility of reaching up to 43°C this Wednesday, according to projections.
For most of western France, including the range from Paris to Brittany, expected highs range between 39°C and 40°C, persisting until the weekend.
On Tuesday, temperatures reached their highest point, with some areas of the Landes in the southwest recording 44.3°C.
From Friday onwards, a reduction in temperatures is expected, bringing gradual relief throughout the weekend. This transition, however, may be accompanied by strong storms, with the potential for rapid flooding and hail.
Labor Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou expressed in an interview with French radio that the nation is “discovering that it has become a hot country.”
High temperatures resulted in the first major national blackout, affecting approximately 68,000 homes in Finistère, northwest of the country, on Tuesday night, due to a transformer failure. Authorities estimate that the energy service will only be fully normalized by the end of this Wednesday.
In the Maine-et-Loire region, more than 150 firefighters were called to combat an extensive forest fire that broke out on Tuesday in the Breignon forest, in Saint-Macaire-du-Bois. The incident was controlled overnight, authorities said.
The famous tourist sites in the French capital, Paris, also felt the effects of the intense heat.
The Louvre Museum, the most visited globally, announced that its closing time will be brought forward to 4pm (local time), from Wednesday to Saturday, instead of the usual 6pm.
The institution justified the measure, explaining that its historic building “remains fragile, external and is not sufficiently adapted to climate change”, and that “the accumulation of heat is greater at the end of the day and intensified by the volume of visitors”.
One of the fatal cases linked to the heat wave in France involved a 13-year-old girl who, on Sunday night, went swimming in the River Seine, in Fontaine-La Port, with her family, even though she did not know how to swim.
In Germany, several drowning incidents have also been reported.
Although Spain has faced days of intense heat, temperatures in the Iberian Peninsula are expected to begin to decrease from this Wednesday.
However, the red heat alert remains active in some regions of northern Spain, with forecasts of up to 42°C in certain areas of the Basque Country, according to data from Aemet, a meteorology company.
In Italy, sixteen provincial capitals are currently under red heat alert, with Latina included this Wednesday, and Bari expected to join the list on Thursday, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
European countries maintain maximum alerts with temperatures approaching 40°C
Red heat warnings have been issued in France, Italy and Spain, where forecasts indicate temperatures could reach 40°C.
KNMI, the Dutch meteorological service, issued a Code Orange warning, indicating “high probability of dangerous weather conditions” in the southern and central portions of the country, valid from Wednesday until at least Friday.
The agency predicted maximum temperatures of 37°C, with the possibility of thermometers reaching 39°C on Friday.
Belgium is also largely under orange alert, with highs of 37°C expected in the following days.
After a meeting on Tuesday, the Belgian Risk Management Group declared the activation of the “alert phase of the national ozone and heat plan” for the second time, the first being in August 2020. However, no specific national actions were announced, apart from awareness campaigns and a request for special attention to the elderly and children.
Climate change is driving an increase in temperatures globally, with Europe being the most affected region. According to the Copernicus climate service, the European continent is warming at a rate twice the global average, intensifying the frequency and severity of events such as the current heat wave.
This accelerated warming results in more intense summer heat waves, increasing pressure on water resources and more severe forest fires. Last year alone, Europe saw the burning of more than a million hectares, a record, with Spain being one of the hardest hit nations.