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🇱🇹 Lithuania /Environment & Climate

Last summer in France was the hottest since records began in 1900

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Official statement Outcome reported
  • France experienced its hottest summer since measurements began in 1900, with temperatures averaging 4.8 degrees Celsius above normal.
  • Heatwaves lasted 53 days, rainfall fell 40% below usual levels, and more than 100,000 hectares burned in wildfires.
  • Authorities evacuated 224,000 people along the Atlantic coast, while Météo-France said such conditions would have been nearly impossible without climate change.

France endured its hottest summer since measurements began in 1900, according to the state meteorological service Météo-France. The seasonal average exceeded the normal level by 4.8 degrees Celsius.

Heatwaves affected the country for 53 days, far surpassing the 33 recorded during the summer of 2022. Rainfall was 40% below normal, while the country faced unprecedented drought and coastal waters reached record temperatures.

Wildfires also reached an unprecedented scale. More than 100,000 hectares burned in 2026, Météo-France reported, and fires along the Atlantic coast forced the evacuation of 224,000 people.

The meteorological service said a summer of this intensity would have been nearly impossible without climate change. It also pointed to unusually hot periods outside the summer season, including the previous May and early September, as signs of a changing climate.

About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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