PARIS: Two people died in France as a result of “heat-related illness,” said the minister for ecological transition on Wednesday, as the country registered its second-hottest June since records began in 1900.
A heatwave across Europe this week broke high temperature records, leading to the closure of nearly 2,000 schools in France at midday on Tuesday.
“More than 300 people have been treated by firefighters and two have died following heat-related illnesses,” ecology minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said on Wednesday.
“June 2025 has become the second hottest June since records began in 1900, behind June 2003,” she added.
Temperatures in June 2025 were 3.3 degrees Celsius higher than the seasonal average compared to 3.6 degrees Celsius in June 2003, her office said.
Meteo-France said June 30 was the hottest day in June since measurements began in 1947, beating the previous record set in 2019.
Relief will start to arrive from the Atlantic on Wednesday, bringing thunderstorms and cooler temperatures to parts of western Europe.