A new heat wave is set to grip France and Spain from Wednesday, with meteorological agencies warning that soaring temperatures could further complicate efforts to contain major wildfires burning in both countries.
The agency said the event would mark the fourth episode of extreme heat this summer and the 54th heat wave recorded nationwide since 1947.
Temperatures are rising rapidly at the beginning of the week following a brief respite over the weekend, it added.
On Monday, minimum temperatures hovered around 20C (68F) in areas surrounding the Mediterranean but remained lower elsewhere.
Maximum temperatures stayed below 30C (86F) across most of the country, except along the Mediterranean coast and in the lower Rhone Valley.
The latest heat wave is forecast to begin Tuesday, when highs will climb to between 32C and 35C (89.6-95F) across much of France and reach 36C to 37C (96.8-98.6F) in the southwest.
Meteo-France forecast temperatures of 33C (91.4F) in Nantes and Paris, 34C (93.2F) in Lyon, and 35C (95F) in Clermont-Ferrand and Toulouse.
Spain's national weather agency Aemet also warned that another heat wave would affect the country from Wednesday through at least Sunday, cautioning that "extreme" wildfire conditions and strong winds would make firefighting operations more difficult.
The latest episode comes after France recorded 5,764 excess deaths during an exceptional heat wave between June 17 and July 2, according to Public Health France.
The agency said the increase in all-cause mortality could not yet be conclusively attributed to the extreme heat. However, the provisional figure represents the country's highest excess mortality since the deadly 2003 heat wave.
Excess deaths were recorded across all age groups aged 15 and older, with a "marked increase" among people aged 45 and above, in what the agency described as an "unprecedented" pattern.
The three previous heat episodes have also weighed on the French economy.
The government has lowered its 2026 gross domestic product growth forecast from 0.9% to 0.7%, with heat waves contributing to the slowdown, according to Clement Bortoli, head of the economic outlook synthesis division at France's national statistics institute INSEE.
Amid growing pressure on the health system, the government has also activated Level 3 of its ORSAN emergency health plan and allocated €100 million ($113.7 million) to accelerate hospitals' adaptation to extreme heat.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said authorities had expected the wildfire season to be "extremely difficult" because of current climatic conditions.
He said 13,566 wildfires or fire outbreaks had been recorded since the start of the season, with a total of 116,085 hectares (286,872 acres) of land burned nationwide.
Nunez added that France had significantly reinforced its firefighting capacity, saying the country now operates a fleet of 67 aircraft, including 12 Canadair water bombers, eight Dash aircraft, 10 leased helicopters and six leased planes, making it "one of the largest aerial firefighting fleets in Europe."
He said the wildfire in Gironde has burned around 42,000 hectares (103,784 acres) but was "stabilized, though not yet contained," warning that the fire season was "far from over" and urging the public to avoid traveling to the Gironde area until the blaze is brought under control.
In Spain, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the coming two days would be "absolutely decisive" for controlling the major wildfires burning near Madrid.
He said the two blazes, which have scorched more than 75,000 hectares (185,329 acres), had slowed their advance overnight but remained a major concern as another heat wave approaches.
