July 2026 became the hottest month in France since systematic measurements began in 1900, Météo-France announced on Tuesday. The national mean temperature reached 24.9°C, edging past the previous records of 24.8°C set in August 2003 and 24.4°C in July 2006. The anomaly of +3.8°C relative to the 1991–2020 baseline—a period already reflecting a warmed climate—matches the excess recorded in June and stands as the second-highest monthly deviation ever observed, behind only February 1990 (+4°C).

The month was shaped by two distinct heatwaves. The first, lasting from 4 to 19 July, was the third-longest on record; the second began on 28 July and remains active. Since late May, France has endured four episodes of extreme heat. Météo-France notes that more than half of the 54 heatwaves registered in the country have occurred in the past 15 years, and that such events are becoming more frequent, starting earlier in the season and reaching higher peak temperatures.

Compounding the heat, July was the third-driest July on record, with a rainfall deficit of nearly 70%. By the end of the month, soil moisture had fallen to levels matching the lowest ever recorded, last seen in August 2022, and was drier than at the same point in 2022 and 2025. The parched conditions fuelled a mega-fire in the Gironde department of south-west France that consumed 42,000 hectares—an area four times the size of Paris—making it the largest wildfire in the country since 1949.

Across the border, Austria registered its own national temperature record on Tuesday, when the mercury in Vienna climbed to 41°C, surpassing the previous absolute maximum of 40.5°C set in August 2013. In Italy, 25 of 27 major cities were placed under a red weather alert, with temperatures expected to reach 40°C.

Météo-France’s three-month outlook for August through October indicates that warmer-than-normal conditions are the most likely scenario, though the agency cautions that this does not necessarily imply further heatwaves. The immediate focus remains on the ongoing second heatwave and the elevated wildfire risk across parched southern Europe.