Italy limited work outdoors, France shut schools and Turkey battled wildfires on Tuesday in a European heatwave that meteorologists said was "exceptional" for striking so early this year. Spain confirmed its hottest June on record,

France's ecological transition minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, said the two deaths in her country were a result of "heat-related illness". It comes as France registered its second-hottest June since records began in 1900. June 2025 only trails behind June 2023, when the country also experienced intense heat.

Sixteen departments have been placed on red alert, the highest level of warning, and 68 on orange alert as France faces the peak of a lengthy heatwave, which has already lasted 13 days.