Tourists protect themselves from the sun with umbrellas in front of the Louvre pyramid designed by Chinese-American architect Io Ming Pei in Paris on June 23, 2026, as France is hit by a heatwave.
Dimitar Dirkov | AFP | Getty Images
Europe’s record heatwave has caused widespread power outages in France and caused several countries to issue emergency alerts for large swaths of their territory.
Around 68,000 homes in western France were left without power due to heat-related incidents, according to the Finistère coastal prefecture.
The power outage began on Tuesday night and is associated with a transformer in the town of Erge Gabelik, and is not expected to be fully restored until the end of Wednesday at the earliest.
“Priority will be given to restoring power to medical and critical facilities. Generators will be provided to nursing homes that have not yet been restored to the grid,” the operator said in a statement.
Meanwhile, data from French utility EDF showed on Wednesday that the country’s national nuclear power output fell by 4.1 gigawatts as high temperatures reduced access to cooling water, according to Reuters. CNBC has contacted EDF and is awaiting a response.
Another episode of record heat has disrupted school and transportation schedules in countries in the region.
June 22, 2026, a deserted street in Toulouse, France. France is experiencing its second heatwave this year. According to MeteoFrance, this day is expected to be one of the hottest on record.
Alan Pitton | Null Photo | Getty Images
On Tuesday, France recorded its hottest day on record nationwide, according to the Meteo France meteorological service.
The mercury hit 44.3 degrees Celsius (111.74 degrees Fahrenheit) in Piso in southwest France, while many cities recorded “unprecedented” levels for any month, including 42.1 degrees Celsius in the port city of Bordeaux, Meteo France said.
The temperature also hit a record 29.8 degrees Celsius on France’s national temperature index, which represents the average temperature measured at 30 weather stations.
At least 40 people have reportedly drowned in France in recent days while swimming unsupervised to beat the heat.
Elsewhere, England closed more than 1,000 schools across England and Wales after an unusual red weather warning was issued on Wednesday morning. Similar warnings have been issued in Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and other countries.
In the UK, a red warning corresponds to unusually hot and humid weather conditions that could have negative health effects on the whole population and mean significant changes to daily life would be required.
Europe’s recent heatwave is the second so-called heat dome in two months and comes as scientists warn that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
Europe is warming faster than any other continent, and twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Agency.
