Temperature records smashed as extreme heatwave grips Europe

EuropeTemperature records smashed as extreme heatwave grips EuropeFrench Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that he had decided to “activate the highest level of public health mobilization,” in a bid to boost staffing levels. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleFrance Records Hottest Day Ever as Europe Swelters in Heatwave02:10Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 25, 2026, 8:45 AM EDTBy Daniele Hamamdjian and Alex HolmesPARIS — Paris, along with much of the rest of Europe, is scorching.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.Gripped by a record heatwave that has killed dozens of people, closed schools and knocked out power for thousands, the French capital has enforced early closures of iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre museum. Temperature records across the continent have tumbled, with France experiencing its hottest day ever, Spain reaching its highest daily average since 1950 and the U.K. experiencing record heat for June. Extreme heat warnings were also in place in Germany, Poland and the Balkans. A hand held fan cools King Charles as he attends a London Climate Week reception in London on Wednesday.Yui Mok / Getty Images“It’s been incredibly hot,” Matt Mcleavy from FairFax, Virginia, told NBC News in Paris, which he was visiting with his family. His family is among many currently sweltering on this continent to experience just how ill-equipped Europe is for the soaring temperatures it increasingly faces.The Airbnb he originally booked “had air conditioning, but the air conditioning was not anywhere near sufficient,” Mcleavy said Wednesday. “No one slept,” he said, so the family booked into a hotel. However, they then discovered the hotel didn’t have any air conditioning at all. Their trip, he said, had ended up costing “a lot more” than planned. “But we’re going to think about that later. We’re enjoying Paris right now, tr...