Overview
- Météo‑France reported Wednesday that the national thermal indicator reached about 30°C, making 24 June the hottest day on record and prompting up to 72 departments to be placed on the highest heat alert.
- Health authorities say urgent care demand has surged to unprecedented levels with spikes in emergency visits, SOS Médecins consultations and daily hospital admissions driven by hyperthermia and dehydration.
- Local officials reported deaths suspected to be linked to the heat, widespread school closures or altered hours affecting thousands of pupils, and a rise in calls to SAMU and fire services.
- Infrastructure has been strained: power outages hit tens of thousands of homes in Finistère, Veolia imposed water restrictions for about 11,400 people in Val‑d’Oise, and nuclear reactors were taken offline because of high river temperatures.
- Forecasters expect a gradual easing from the Atlantic this weekend for parts of the west but warn extreme heat could persist or recur into July, a pattern experts link to climate change and the increasing frequency of such episodes.