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New temperature records set in France this week!

undefined undefined 16 août 2025 undefined 12h00

The Editor

© Hugo Dominguez / Le Bonbon

In recent days, an unprecedented heatwave has swept across France. And even though, after weeks of rain and dreariness that we've experienced many times since the beginning of summer, the sunshine was very welcome, the number of temperature records shattered throughout the country is quite alarming.

For the past few weeks, Parisians have deserted the capital to escape to more pleasant places, and especially warm and welcoming spots during the holidays. But no matter where they were staying, whether it was in Marseille, La Baule, or Deauville, no one could escape the heatwave that swept across France at the beginning of the week. And on last Tuesday, some extraordinary temperatures were recorded everywhere, sometimes even exceeding those of the historic heatwave in 2003.


A progression from south to north

At the very beginning of the week, on Monday, it was the south of France that was affected, allowing cities like Bordeaux and Toulouse to break their monthly records, and sometimes even all-time highs. The lenTomorrow, the heatwave will continue its journey northeast, affecting this time the entire country. And the least we can say is that no one has been spared.

While the vast majority of France — except for a little corner in the northwest, thanks to Brittany — was under at least an orange alert, around twenty absolute temperature records were shattered. For example, in Chalon-sur-Saône, they recorded a sizzling 39.8 °C, breaking the record set in 2003. The same goes for Langres (38.1 °C) and Romans-sur-Isère (42.6 °C).


An alarming situation

The temperatures then dipped slightly starting from the middle of the week in the south and west, with even some strong thunderstorms, before rising again in recent days. However, in the e...

st, the heatwave has continued without interruption. And a new national peak is expected as early as this weekend, with scorching temperatures forecasted to stay in the country until at least August 20.

A pretty critical situation that once again highlights the effects of climate change and the urgent need to find solutions to cope with these temperatures. In fact, with the goal of making Paris a pleasant and livable city despite the heat, the city hall has embarked on a massive greening initiative to create as many cool islands as possible. Let’s hope it works!