Europe's heatwave shifts east as France raises health alert to highest level

Europe's heatwave shifts east as France raises health alert to highest levelImage source, Getty ImagesByPaul Kirby, Europe digital editor, Laura Gozzi and Bethany Bell, In LeipzigPublished25 June 2026, 13:22 BSTUpdated 28 minutes agoHeatwave conditions that have left Spain, France and the UK sweltering for days are set to shift to the east, with forecasters in Germany and the Czech Republic warning of extreme conditions.Temperatures in Germany could hit 40C in some western and south-western areas on Thursday, and across the country on Friday. An extreme weather warning is now in place in much of the Czech Republic.In France, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced that the health alert level is being raised to its highest, to boost hospital staffing and protect the vulnerable.Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said they were now seeing deaths among young people linked to the extreme temperatures, as well as the elderly.United Nations climate change chief Simon Stiell has said "Europe's savage heatwave has the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it", and he has called for "a faster shift to renewables, protecting forests and boosting climate resilience".After France recorded its hottest day on Wednesday for the second day in a row, records continue to be broken. Météo-France said the average minimum temperature reached 22C on Wednesday night. Nantes saw 27.2C in the north-west.Image source, European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-3 imageryImage caption, This Sentinel-3 satellite image shows land surface temperatures across France on TuesdayParis mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said the mortality rate was on the rise in Paris, where temperatures have been high for several days. "We must not believe ourselves to be invulnerable," he told French TV. "I am thinking especially about the youth... At about 19:30 last night... I saw 100 or so joggers on the street. Frankly, that's irresponsible.""It's fine to ta...