Paris has logged its 100th day of 2026 with temperatures reaching at least 25°C at its Montsouris monitoring station, breaking a record that had stood since 2018, Météo France confirmed. By 3 p.m. local time Tuesday, the mercury had already climbed to nearly 32°C in the capital.
The previous record dated back to 2018, when Paris recorded 98 days above that threshold over an entire year. This year’s figure has been reached with more than three months still remaining on the calendar.
“This is unprecedented in the capital since record-keeping began in 1872, and the year isn’t even over yet,” meteorologist Guillaume Séchet warned on social media.
Summer Heat Leaves Its Mark
The distribution of these 100 hot days reflects the heatwaves that gripped France in previous months. July contributed 29 days above 25°C, while August added 24, according to a tally by Le Parisien. Since September 1, another 11 days have already crossed that threshold.
France has been experiencing a sharp temperature spike since the weekend, with readings exceeding 30°C across many regions and reaching up to 36°C in the southwest. The heat peak materialized as forecast on Tuesday.
The hot spell, which was predicted to be brief from the outset, is expected to end Wednesday. A dramatic cool-down is anticipated as France sits on the edge of an anticyclone.
“Many regions will lose 10 to 15°C in just 24 hours with the arrival of a cooler air mass,” La Chaîne Météo reported.
Record Could Climb Higher
That cooldown may pause Montsouris’s counter — but only temporarily. “This figure of 100 annual days is very likely far from final,” Météo France told reporters. Heat and drought have not yet had their final say.
“After a few days closer to seasonal norms, another surge in temperatures is possible as early as next week,” the agency added.
Long-range forecasts, which by nature carry significant uncertainty, suggest a return of summer-like conditions beginning the weekend of September 19-20.
“The atmosphere will become mild to warm again, without immediately returning to the extremes observed this Tuesday,” La Chaîne Météo predicted.
While temperatures could once again exceed 30°C in the southwest, 25°C is already forecast for Paris on Saturday afternoon — making it all but inevitable that the capital’s hot-day counter will tick upward once more, just days before the official start of autumn.
