France records hottest July on record amid severe heatwave and drought
July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in France since measurements began in 1900, with an average temperature of 24.9 °C. The new record surpassed the previous highs of August 2003 (24.8 °C) and July 2006 (24.4 °C). The month’s temperature anomaly was +3.8 °C above the 1991‑2020 normal and +5.2 °C for daily maximum values, making it the second‑largest monthly anomaly after February 1990.
The heatwave featured two successive waves: the first from 4 to 19 July, the third‑longest in French history, and a second beginning on 28 July that was still ongoing when the data were released. On 12 July, 37 departments were placed under red heat alert and 46 under orange. The month also suffered a near‑70 % rainfall deficit, ranking it the third‑driest July on record, and leaving soils exceptionally dry – comparable to the lowest levels ever measured in August 2022.
The extreme dryness helped fuel a megafire in the Gironde department that burned thousands of hectares and destroyed homes in late July. Climate scientists, including climatologist Christophe Cassou, warned that such conditions are consistent with human‑caused climate change and that future summers could see regional temperatures of 48‑50 °C and 50‑60 consecutive heat‑days by 2050‑2060.
Entities: Christophe Cassou · Claude Jeandel · France · Gironde · Inserm · July 2026 · Météo‑France · Santé publique France · Switzerland
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Climatologist Christophe Cassou warned that future summers could see regional temperatures of 48‑50 °C and 50‑60 consecutive heat days by 2050‑2060. (Christophe Cassou)
- [● 2 SOURCES] On 12 July 2026, 37 French departments were placed under red heat alert and 46 under orange. (Météo‑France)
- [● 3 SOURCES] July 2026 was the third driest July on record in France, with a rainfall deficit of about 70 %. (Météo‑France)
- [● 3 SOURCES] A megafire in the Gironde department in late July 2026 burned thousands of hectares and destroyed homes. (Météo‑France)
- [● 2 SOURCES] July 2026 broke the previous temperature records of August 2003 (24.8 °C) and July 2006 (24.4 °C). (Météo‑France)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The 2026 heatwave and drought increased the risk of wildfires, a link attributed to human‑caused climate change. (climate scientists)
- [● 3 SOURCES] July 2026 average temperature in France was 24.9 °C, the highest since records began in 1900. (Météo‑France)
- [● 2 SOURCES] July 2026 temperature anomaly was +3.8 °C above the 1991‑2020 normal and +5.2 °C for maximum temperatures. (Météo‑France)