France recorded its hottest night in seven years from Sunday night into Monday as the country braces for even higher temperatures in the coming days, broadcaster BFMTV reported.
The night was reported to be the hottest since the July 2019 heatwave, with the average national temperature standing at around 21.4°C.
In Paris, national weather service Meteo-France also recorded a minimum temperature of 24.2°C overnight, breaking a nearly 10-year-old record.
The extreme heat is expected to continue, with weather forecasts indicating that temperatures will rise further throughout the week.
In the coming nights, temperatures are expected to remain unusually high, ranging between 23°C and 26°C in some parts of the country.
Several departments across France have been placed under red or orange alerts as a heatwave grips the country, with temperatures expected to rise to around 40°C.
Meteo-France raised the alert level for Monday, placing 49 departments under red alert and 40 under orange alert.
The heatwave has also affected daily life, with National Education Minister Edouard Geffray announcing over the weekend that 845 schools would remain closed on Monday due to the extreme heat, while another 1,800 schools would adjust their operating hours.
Meanwhile, the national spokesperson for civil security, Jerome Boulanger, told the broadcaster ICI Paris that 13 people have drowned since Saturday.
“During this heatwave, cooling down and staying hydrated are very good things, but when people go swimming, it really needs to be in a supervised location,” Boulanger said.
