\n<\/p>\n
As of 05:00 local time, La Rochelle in the southwest had already recorded a temperature of 29C, the forecaster said.<\/p>\n
Highs of 39 to 40C are forecast across much of the country’s west, from Paris to Brittany, and are expected to remain the same until the weekend.<\/p>\n
In Bordeaux, it is possible that the city’s all-time record temperature could be broken for a third day running. The previous record was 41.6C on 11 August 2025. But on Monday it reached 41.8C, while on Tuesday it was 42.1C.<\/p>\n
Some relief from the heat is expected from Friday, with temperatures forecast to gradually drop over the weekend. This change will come with thunderstorms, bringing a risk of flash flooding and large hail.<\/p>\n
Speaking to French radio, labour minister Jean-Pierre Farandou said “we’re in the process of finding out we’ve become a hot country”.<\/p>\n
Authorities warn that the risk of forest fires is higher during such a prolonged and intense heatwave.<\/p>\n
In the Maine-et-Loire region, more than 150 firefighters were deployed to fight a major fire on Tuesday in the Breignon forest in Saint-Macaire-du-Bois. It was brought under control overnight, authorities said, with no-one reported injured.<\/p>\n
Sights in the French capital Paris have also been impacted by the hot weather.<\/p>\n
The world’s most visited museum, the Louvre, said it would close its doors earlier this week. <\/p>\n
The Louvre said its historic building “remains fragile, external and is not sufficiently adapted to climate change”, adding that the “build-up of heat is at its highest at the end of the day, and intensified by the volume of visitors”.<\/p>\n
The Eiffel Tower is also closing earlier than usual on Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n
In France, among those who died in heatwave-related incidents was a 13-year-old girl who had gone for a dip with her family in the River Seine at Fontaine-La Port on Sunday evening, although she did not know how to swim.<\/p>\n
Several drownings have also been reported in Germany, including that of a 26-year-old man who died after going into the Danube River near Regensburg in Bavaria on Tuesday evening. <\/p>\n
Emergency services spent hours searching for the Syrian man, who could not swim, using a helicopter and boats. Attempts to resuscitate him after he was found some hours later were unsuccessful. <\/p>\n
Temperatures are expected to reach 37C on Wednesday in Germany, and people are being warned not to underestimate the dangers of swimming.<\/p>\n
There are also fears of drought in some regions. In Brandenburg, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, authorities are urging people to use water sparingly, German newspaper Die Welt reports. <\/p>\n
Barbecue bans have also been introduced in cities including Stuttgart and Freiburg in Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, local media report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n