Europe Braces for Intensifying Heatwave as France Closes Schools, Belgium Cuts Train Service

PARIS — Much of Europe was preparing Monday for an already fierce heatwave to intensify even further in the coming days, with several countries taking special measures to mitigate its effects, including school closures, canceled trains, and a public alcohol ban in some French regions.

A Deadly Weekend in France

France recorded heat-related deaths over the weekend. A leading researcher reiterated that human-driven climate change had contributed to the recent record-breaking heatwave.

In France, 49 of the country's 96 mainland departments were on a red alert weather warning, up from 35 over the weekend. Officials announced the closure of 845 schools Monday, with another 1,800 set to let students leave earlier than normal.

On Sunday, several towns had canceled the annual music festival, and the government banned alcohol consumption in public places on health and public order grounds in departments already under the weather red alert.

Temperatures Pushing Past 40 Degrees

Some parts of France recorded temperatures past 40 degrees Celsius — extreme for June. In the southwest Gironde region, local officials said the deaths of three people, aged between 80 and 95, were in part due to the intense heat.

The historical comparison being drawn by forecasters underscores the seriousness with which French officials are treating the current event. French forecasters say the current heatwave could end up being as serious as the one in August 2003 that claimed the lives of nearly 15,000 in France.

Rail Services Cut in France and Belgium

Both France and Belgium announced cuts to their rail services: in France, mainly commuter lines in and around Paris. Belgium's national rail company SNCB announced that some rush hour trains had been canceled for Monday and Tuesday to reduce the risk of breakdowns blocking the tracks.

The decision in Belgium comes amid warnings that the country is approaching its own historic temperature thresholds. Temperatures in Belgium are expected to be "the hottest ever recorded" there in the coming week, warned David Dehenauw, head of forecasting at the IRM meteorological institute.

A Particularly Early and Intense Heatwave

France's junior minister for ecology, Mathieu Lefevre, characterized the severity and timing of the current event as unusual even by the standards of recent years. Lefevre said this heatwave was "particularly intense and particularly early." In May, several European countries reported record temperatures for that time of year, suggesting this summer's extreme heat arrived well ahead of its typical seasonal window.

The Climate Science Behind the Extremes

Climate researchers have continued to draw a direct link between the current heatwave and broader, human-driven warming trends affecting the European continent. Akshay Deoras, a senior researcher at the University of Reading's National Centre for Atmospheric Science in England, said it was clear what was behind the rash of heat records.

"Human-driven climate change has provided the springboard for this event, loading the atmosphere with extra heat and making extreme temperatures far more intense than they would have been in the past," he said.

Spain Braces for "Extremely High" Temperatures

Spain's weather service Aemet on Sunday warned of "extremely high" temperatures for the season, day and night, until Wednesday. Temperatures are forecast to reach 44 degrees Celsius in some areas. "Temperatures will drop Thursday, but the heat will remain intense," the agency added.

The extreme conditions have already disrupted public life in the Spanish capital. On Sunday, officials in Madrid canceled a public screening on a giant screen of Spain's victory over Saudi Arabia at the World Cup because of the extreme heat.

UK Records Expected to Be "Annihilated"

In Britain, forecasters are warning that the country's existing temperature records for June are likely to fall dramatically in the days ahead, continuing a pattern already seen the previous month. Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, predicted that existing UK heat records for June would be "annihilated" — as had already happened in May.

"The coming week will bring an unprecedented heatwave with temperatures likely to reach 38-39 degrees celsius," she predicted. "The current June record is 35.6 degrees celsius. This will lead to two consecutive months, May and June, in which the UK temperature records have been annihilated by well over 2C," she added.

A Continent-Wide Pattern of Disruption

The combination of school closures in France, rail service cuts in both France and Belgium, canceled public events in Spain, and record-shattering forecasts in Britain illustrates the scale of disruption the current heatwave is causing across multiple countries simultaneously, rather than being confined to any single region. Officials across the affected countries have framed their respective response measures — from early school dismissals to reduced rail schedules designed to prevent track-related breakdowns — as precautionary steps aimed at minimizing both public health risks and infrastructure failures during the period of peak heat.

With temperatures across France, Spain, Belgium, and the United Kingdom all expected to climb further or remain elevated through the middle of the week, authorities across the continent are likely to maintain or expand their current protective measures in the coming days. Spain's national weather service has indicated some relief may arrive by Thursday, even as officials there caution that the underlying heat will remain intense even after the most extreme temperatures begin to ease. Given the scale of the records already being broken across multiple countries this spring and early summer, climate researchers continue to point to the current heatwave as further evidence of the broader warming trend reshaping what counts as a typical European summer.