Europe swelters under an early heat wave as France records 40 drowning deaths

By — Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/europe-swelters-under-an-early-heat-wave-as-france-records-40-drowning-deaths Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Europe swelters under an early heat wave as France records 40 drowning deaths World Jun 23, 2026 10:05 AM EDT PARIS (AP) — Millions of people across Europe were exposed to extreme and exceptional high temperatures on Tuesday, with 40 fatalities from drowning recorded in France in the past week as residents seek relief from the searing heat. Temperatures will remain high around the clock in France, the European nation the most affected so far by the early summer heat wave. The national weather service, Meteo France, placed 54 departments, about half the country, under a red heat wave alert. Grow your mind Subscribe to our Science Newsletter to explore the wide worlds of science, health and technology. Italy, Spain, and Britain were also hit. Human-caused climate change is tied to increasingly extreme weather, and U.N. climate agency projections say the next five years should shatter more heat records. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that the 40 people who died by drowning since last Thursday were mainly young people. The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower are closing early In a country without widespread air conditioning, schools, public transportation and sporting events have been impacted. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower adjusted its operations to the scorching weather, closing in the afternoon instead of late at night as it usually does. The Louvre museum said it would close two hours earlier than normal from Wednesday through Saturday. "Although parts of its historic building are naturally resilient, the museum remains vulnerable and is not sufficiently adapted to climate change," it said. "Heat buildup is greatest toward the end of the day and is further intensified by high visitor numbers." Extreme conditions are expected to last at least until the end of the week, with daytime highs above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many towns. "Further record-breaking temperatures are expected, including some that could surpass all previous records, regardless of the time of year," Meteo France said. Tourists use umbrellas to shelter from the sun as they visit the historical Spanish steps in Rome on Tuesday. Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo The heat wave is exceptionally intense, coming very early in the summer, "but with a still uncertain duration," the weather service said. It has already been compared to the August 2003 heat wave, when the highest temperatures in over half a century caused an estimated 15,000 deaths, many of them among older people in apartments and retirement homes without air conditioning. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since