France reports more than 5,000 deaths after June heatwave

The French national health agency said on Wednesday it recorded 5,764 excess deaths between June 17 and July 2, 36.2% higher than normal, during the June heatwave.

The World Meteorological Organization's weather forecast shows that Paris will experience temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius again next week.

According to the French meteorological service, 2026 was France’s hottest June on record. Paris hit 40.9 degrees Celsius on June 24, which broke the capital’s June temperature record.

Jennifer Yu, 22, a US tourist in Paris, said it’s her first time in France and she can hardly breathe due to the hot weather.

Rémy Jarry, 48, a Paris resident, said some Parisians without air conditioning cool down in public parks or swim in urban canals.

“It's really too hot in Paris this year...It feels like France has not seen such extreme heat since I was a child,” Jarry said.

The World Weather Attribution reported this summer had the most severe and widespread heat wave in Europe ever, but only 25% of households are equipped with air conditioning.

Sylvain, 43, a French teacher who lives in Paris and declined to provide his last name, said he drove to rural towns after work to escape the urban heat island effect.

He said he does not use household air conditioning because it harms the environment. But due to the increasing numbers of hot days, he said he might change his mind.

The World Weather Attribution also said that fossil fuel emissions have rapidly exacerbated heatwaves in Europe in just a few decades.

“We only started facing such extreme heat regularly in recent years, which shows environmental issues are growing increasingly severe,” Sylvain said.