France Heatwave Record Broken as Power Outages Hit 68,000 Homes

France shattered its all-time heat record on Wednesday, with the national meteorological agency Météo France recording 44.3°C (111.7°F) in Pissos in the southwestern Landes department — breaking a record set just a day earlier. The scorching temperatures triggered power outages across the country and reignited debate over air conditioning policy.

Power Outages in Brittany

Around 68,000 homes in the western Brittany region lost electricity on Tuesday evening due to a grid transformer failure near the city of Quimper. The outage was directly linked to the extreme temperatures, which overloaded the electricity network. Authorities said full power restoration would not happen until Wednesday evening.

Scale of the Heatwave

More than 90 percent of France's population was exposed to extreme heat, with temperatures between 39°C and 41°C forecast across the country from Brittany to Paris. Major cities including Bordeaux recorded unprecedented June temperatures. France's emergency services reported dozens of drowning incidents, with people attempting to cool off in rivers and lakes.

Air Conditioning Debate

The heatwave has forced France to reconsider its traditionally cool stance on air conditioning. France has long resisted widespread AC adoption for environmental and cultural reasons, but the repeated extreme heat events are testing that consensus. Municipalities are opening cooling centers, and calls for revised building and energy codes are growing louder across Europe.

Broader European Impact

The heatwave is part of a wider European pattern, with record temperatures also being reported in Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Climate scientists have warned that such extreme heat events will become more frequent and more intense as global temperatures continue to rise.