France on red alert as Europe heatwave pushes temperatures above 40C

France has placed half the country under red alert as a severe heatwave drives temperatures above 40C across mainland Europe. The warning comes as authorities across several countries respond to rising risks linked to extreme heat, including reports of drownings in France, Germany and Italy. In France, emergency services and military forces have been put on bushfire alert, while officials have also restricted public alcohol consumption and cancelled some outdoor sports events.

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Temperatures in parts of France topped 40C on Sunday, and forecasters expect the heat to intensify further on Monday. The national rail authority has cancelled some trains and sent thousands of extra staff to help manage possible disruption to tracks and electrical cables. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower and other venues have installed misting stations for visitors, while local and national authorities have introduced measures aimed at reducing health risks.

The government has also ordered 845 schools to close on Monday and stepped up monitoring of the country's nuclear power plants. Water supplies to the reactors are being watched more closely as the heatwave continues. Authorities are particularly concerned about people living in exposed urban areas, as well as older people in nursing homes or those isolated at home.

The scale of the response reflects the pressure that prolonged high temperatures can place on transport, public services and energy infrastructure. The situation matters because the heatwave is affecting much of Europe at the start of the summer season, with temperatures above 40C creating risks for public health and essential services. Scientists say human-induced climate change is making heatwaves more extreme and more common, and the current episode is being treated as part of that wider pattern.

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The World Health Organization's Europe office said this month that more than 200,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes over the past four years, with most of those deaths considered preventable. France's response also reflects memories of the 2003 heatwave, when about 15,000 older people died in the country and the event became a national reckoning. That experience continues to shape emergency planning, especially for vulnerable groups and for systems such as rail and nuclear power that can be affected by extreme temperatures.

The current measures show how heatwaves are now being managed not only as weather events, but as broad public-safety and infrastructure emergencies. What remains unclear is how long the red alert conditions will last and whether the heat will spread further or ease after Monday. Authorities are expected to keep monitoring schools, transport networks, water supplies and power plants as temperatures remain elevated.

The main question now is how much disruption the heatwave will cause before conditions begin to improve.

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