June 2025 was France's second-hottest on record

France registered its second-warmest June since records began in 1900, said the country's ministry for ecological transition on Wednesday, as Europe swelters under an early summer heatwave. High temperatures across Europe this week broke records, leading to the closure of nearly 2,000 schools in France at midday on Tuesday.

Temperatures in June 2025 were 3.3 degrees Celsius higher than the seasonal average compared to 3.6 degrees Celsius in June 2003, the minister’s office said. “France’s Health Minister confirmed it was "too early to take stock" of the consequences of the heatwave.

But a detailed report showing the number of deaths linked to the soaring temperatures with medical data will not be available until the autumn, it added. Relief will start to arrive from the Atlantic on Wednesday, bringing thunderstorms and cooler temperatures to parts of Western Europe.