00:00France recorded its hottest summer this year since measurements began more than a century ago,
00:06French authorities said on Thursday. Speaking at a presentation of the climate report covering the
00:12months of June, July and August, Environment Minister Monique Baboud said, quote, we have
00:18experienced the hottest summer ever recorded since measurements began in 1900. According to National
00:25Weather Service, Meteor France, the summer of 2026 recorded an average temperature of 24 degrees
00:32Celsius, covering day and night time, 3.6 Celsius above the normal average, higher than in 2003
00:39when temperatures were 2.7 degrees Celsius above normal. Firefighters relentlessly tackled wildfires
00:47through the summer, even in normally cooler and wetter regions in the north and Brittany,
00:52as France experienced one of its driest years ever. A historic fire devoured forests near Bordeaux
01:00and forced a quarter of a million people to evacuate from their homes. Millions in France,
01:06Italy, Spain, the UK and elsewhere in Europe experienced extreme temperatures this summer.
01:12Scientists say Europe is the world's fastest warming continent with temperatures increasing
01:17at twice the speed as the global average since the 1980s.
