This is a record that France would have happily done without. On Tuesday June 23, France experienced temperatures so high that the country was among the hottest areas on the globe, exceeding 99.02% of the areas on the planet. Already the day before, temperatures observed in France were higher than those in 98.8% of the rest of the world, according to an analysis carried out by Ben Noll, meteorologist and journalist at the Washington Post.
Using data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the specialist mapped the rare territories displaying temperatures higher than those recorded in France. These include the Sahara, the Middle East, parts of Western Asia, some areas of the Pyrenees and southern Spain, and part of California, United States. The latter is notably home to the famous Death Valley, holder of the world temperature record with 56.7°C recorded on July 10, 1913.
France will be hotter than 99.02 percent of the planet on Tuesday.
In other words, only about one percent of the planet will be hotter than France’s hottest places.
That includes parts of the Sahara Desert, Desert Southwest and Middle East. pic.twitter.com/zvwPOQyQYw
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) June 23, 2026
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Tuesday was marked by a series of records in France. With 89 mainland departments placed on orange or red alert for heatwaves, many cities experienced extreme temperatures. The record for the day was recorded in Les Herbiers, in Vendée, with 44.7°C.
Temperatures above 42°C expected on Wednesday
The national thermal indicator, which reflects the country’s average temperature, reached 29.9°C, making this day the hottest observed since records began in 1947. This exceeds the record set during the historic heatwave of 2003. Already during the night from Monday to Tuesday, France had recorded its hottest night with a minimum average temperature of 21.6°C, exceeding that of July 25, 2019 by 0.2°C.
According to forecasts, these records could be broken again during the peak of the heatwave this Wednesday. Temperatures above 42°C are particularly expected in the southwest of the country. For comparison, Bordeaux could be warmer than Timbuktu, Mali, where predicted highs reach 39°C. A more than exceptional situation: this city usually experiences some of the hottest summers in the world, with averages around 41°C and a historic record of 54.4°C.
In Vichy, in Allier, the mercury will reach up to 43°C, one degree more than the expected temperature in Dubai. No region is spared. In Brittany, the maximums could rise to 37°C in Brest, more than in Rabat, in Morocco, where the thermometer should not exceed 35°C. In the north of France, Lille will experience a day at 38°C, the same temperature as in Las Vegas, in the United States.
However, this heat wave is not limited to France. Much of Europe also faces high temperatures. Spain, Italy, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom also recorded values well above seasonal norms, with peaks locally exceeding 40°C. Several countries have also issued heatwave alerts and strengthened prevention measures to deal with heat-related risks.
