Record number of locations in France top 40C over summer: Analysis
PARIS: A record number of weather stations in mainland France have recorded temperatures above 40C this summer, with some major cities crossing the threshold for the first time, according to an AFP analysis of Meteo-France data.
France experienced an unprecedented summer with a record number of weather stations recording temperatures exceeding 40C, according to an AFP analysis of Meteo-France data. Of the 1,300 stations studied, which have been operational since before 2000, 573 reached or surpassed the 40C mark at least once during the sweltering summer.
This surpasses the previous record of 292 stations that hit this threshold in the 2003 heatwave and the 394 stations in 2019. Temperatures crossed the 40C threshold for the first time since records began at over 80 stations this summer. Cities such as Strasbourg, Metz, Alencon, Mulhouse, and Tarbes saw their respective weather stations reach these extreme temperatures for the first time.
In the village of Neuvy-Saint-Sepulchre, with a population of 1,600, the weather station, in operation since 1909, hit 40C seven times between June 21 and 29, peaking at 41.8C. In the village of Pruniers, which has been recording temperatures since 1942, it recorded 18 days above 40C in 2026, including seven consecutive days in late June, two of them at 45C.
No station has ever recorded as many days of extreme heat in a single summer since data collection began in 1950. Across all stations, temperatures of 40C or above were recorded on a total of 2,153 station-days in 2026, breaking the previous record of 966 in 2003.
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