Power outages hit France as it records hottest day since measurements began

Key Points:

• France recorded its hottest day since 1947 with a national average temperature of 30°C, breaking the previous day's record amid a severe early summer heatwave affecting western Europe.
• More than half of France remains under a red heat alert, with tens of thousands of homes in the west experiencing power outages and increased risks of forest fires, including a major fire in the Maine-et-Loire region.
• The heatwave is spreading across Europe, with red and orange alerts issued in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Croatia, and Hungary, while temperatures are expected to peak later in the week in these regions.
• At least 40 heatwave-related drownings have occurred in France since last Thursday, with similar incidents reported in Germany, highlighting the dangerous impacts of the extreme heat.
• Spain and Italy are also experiencing record-breaking temperatures, with Spain recording its highest June daily average temperature since 1950, and multiple Italian provinces under red heat alerts; some relief from the heat in France is expected from Friday.