France is preparing for its fifth heatwave of the year. French weather service CEO Virginie Schwarz said the country has seen its hottest and longest summer on record, with 53 days of extreme high temperatures so far. Severe drought and wildfires have burned more than 96,000 hectares — over 2.5 times the area burned in all of 2025 — disrupting the peak tourism season and destroying crops. Ecology minister Monique Barbut estimated losses could exceed €15bn ($17.3bn); the government plans to annou

France is preparing for its fifth heatwave of the year. French weather service CEO Virginie Schwarz said the country has seen its hottest and longest summer on record, with 53 days of extreme high temperatures so far. Severe drought and wildfires have burned more than 96,000 hectares — over 2.5 times the area burned in all of 2025 — disrupting the peak tourism season and destroying crops. Ecology minister Monique Barbut estimated losses could exceed €15bn ($17.3bn); the government plans to announce a package worth several hundred million euros in the coming days to compensate farmers for drought- and heat-related crop damage.