PARIS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- July was recorded as France's hottest month on record, surpassing previous temperature benchmarks since records began in 1900, the country's weather service Meteo-France said on Tuesday.
With a monthly average national temperature of 24.9 degrees Celsius, July 2026 surpassed the previous records of 24.8 degrees Celsius in August 2003 and 24.4 degrees Celsius recorded in July 2006, Meteo-France said.
The record-breaking heat was accompanied by severe dry conditions. Meteo-France noted that rainfall across the country was nearly 70 percent below the seasonal average, making July 2026 the third-driest July on record. The weather service also said July 2026 was the country's second-sunniest July on record.
According to Meteo-France, persistent heat, drought and windy conditions kept wildfire risk at high or very high levels throughout July. In this context, a historical wildfire broke out in the southwestern French department of Gironde on July 22, eventually burned about 42,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of more than 220,000 people, according to preliminary estimates. ■