PARIS, France, July 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - An area of Europe with 410 million

people -- more than two-thirds of the continent's population -- experienced

temperatures over 35oC at least once during a June 15-30 heatwave, according

to an AFP analysis.

By comparison, some 320 million people in Europe experienced such

temperatures during a record-setting heatwave between August 1 and 17, 2003.

AFP made the calculations using daily maximum temperature data from the

European Drought Observatory and population figures from the Joint Research

Centre.

Almost the entire population of mainland France and more than three-quarters

of the combined populations of Spain and Italy experienced temperatures

exceeding 35oC at some point during the June heatwave, which stretched from

the Iberian Peninsula to Ukraine, passing through the Balkans and Germany.

Temperatures exceeded 35oC in an area surrounding the Spanish city of Lleida,

Catalonia, for at least 16 consecutive days, according to an AFP analysis of

data from the European observatory.

More broadly, daily maximum temperatures rose above 35oC for nearly 50

million people across Europe on at least 10 occasions during the heatwave.

These included 18 million people in central and southern France, over 15

million in northeastern and southwestern Spain, and 12 million in northern

Italy, mainly in the Po Valley.

All-time temperature records were broken in Germany, Poland, Slovakia, the

Czech Republic, and Hungary, as well as June records in the United Kingdom

and Switzerland.

Average temperatures in France hit record highs, notably including the

hottest nights ever recorded in the country.

BSS/AFP/SSS/1708 hrs