A heatwave of exceptional intensity is affecting France, where Météo-France has placed 60 departments under orange alert – the second-highest warning level – and warns that some may move to red alert on Sunday. Temperatures are expected to reach 40°C in central and western regions, with overnight lows staying above 20°C in many areas. One death has been attributed to the heat: a 30-year-old man collapsed on an athletics track in Val-d’Oise on Thursday, according to local authorities. The education ministry reports that 784 schools have adjusted timetables or closed, and oral baccalaureate exams for 4,000 candidates in the Poitiers academy have been postponed by a week. The state railway operator SNCF has cancelled 71 Intercités services due to concerns over air-conditioning failures.

The heatwave extends across western Europe. In Italy, the health ministry’s heat bulletin has placed eight cities under red alert for Sunday, including Bologna, Milan and Turin, with maximum temperatures forecast at 38–39°C in the Po Valley and central regions. The UK Met Office has issued an amber warning for southern England, where temperatures could exceed 34°C and possibly break the June record of 35.6°C. Spanish authorities have activated an extreme heat alert for most of the country and the Balearic Islands from Sunday, with 40°C expected in eastern areas. Switzerland’s meteorological service has raised the alert level for Basel to four out of five, anticipating 37°C. In Germany, warnings extend even to altitudes above 600 metres, with highs of 36°C in the south-west. Iranian meteorological officials separately forecast a summer 1–2°C above long-term averages, with the central regions and Zagros foothills most affected.

This is the second major heatwave to hit western Europe in less than a month, following an earlier episode in late May. Météo-France has stated that the current event could be comparable in duration and severity to the August 2003 heatwave, which caused thousands of excess deaths. Some meteorologists, cited by French and Italian media, suggest that Monday 22 June could become the hottest day ever recorded nationally in France, with the national thermal indicator potentially surpassing any previous value. Scientists note that repeated heatwaves are an unequivocal marker of climate change, and some analysts point to the developing El Niño event and a cold water mass in the North Atlantic as factors reinforcing the high-pressure dome over the continent. The French prime minister has convened a crisis meeting for Saturday, while health officials across the affected countries warn of the heightened risks of mixing alcohol and physical exertion during the heat, particularly with the Fête de la Musique street celebrations scheduled for Sunday.