Heatwave

16 stories

Society
Extreme heat
June heatwave killed more than 2,000 in France as Luxembourg logs hottest June on record
Preliminary mortality data published this week show the late-June heatwave caused 2,025 excess deaths in France and an unprecedented 39% rise in Belgian mortality, with at least 3,700 excess deaths across France, Belgium and the Netherlands combined. Luxembourg recorded its hottest June since measurements began in 1947, including a new 38.2°C June record at Findel, and forecasters warn extreme heat could return to the region in the first half of July.
By Léa Hoffmannyesterday
Society
Environment
Heatwave strips oxygen from Luxembourg's rivers as EU water targets stay out of reach
As a heatwave drove Luxembourg's rivers to critical oxygen levels, EU data and LIST research underline a stark reality: almost none of the country's waterways meet the 'good' ecological status the EU requires by 2027.
By Léa Hoffmann2 days ago
Europe
Climate
Spain's second-hottest June linked to more than 1,000 heat deaths as heatwave reaches Luxembourg
Spain recorded its second-hottest June since 1961, and public-health monitors attributed more than 1,000 excess deaths to the heat — more than double June 2025. The same heat dome pushed red alerts across Luxembourg.
By Léa Hoffmann3 days ago
Society
Heatwave
Record heatwave grips Europe as France's death toll climbs and Luxembourg holds red alert
A record-breaking June heatwave has swept much of Europe, with France warning its death toll will keep rising and the WHO linking more than 1,300 excess deaths to the heat. Luxembourg spent much of the week under a MeteoLux red alert, with schools, construction and rail services disrupted and the government activating its heat plan.
By Léa Hoffmann5 days ago
Society
Heatwave
Luxembourg eases red heat alert as deadly heatwave grips western Europe
Luxembourg lifted its red heat warning on Sunday morning after a punishing week, as an extreme heatwave linked to a stalled high-pressure system toppled records across western and central Europe, killed hundreds and forced authorities to reorganise schools, building sites and emergency services.
By Léa Hoffmann6 days ago
Society
Climate
Beyond the heatwave: scientists see Luxembourg's climate turning hotter, drier and stormier
Scientists at LIST say Luxembourg is shifting to hotter, drier summers and more violent downpours, straining drinking water, agriculture and infrastructure long after this week's heatwave ends.
By Tom Schmit6 days ago
Europe
Climate
Europe's heatwave was 'virtually impossible' without climate change, scientists find
Scientists with World Weather Attribution conclude the late-June 2026 heatwave gripping Western Europe — which pushed Luxembourg to a record 36.3°C and triggered a national red alert over National Day — would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.
By Léa Hoffmann27 June 2026
Europe
Energy & climate
Heatwave cuts French nuclear output, but Cattenom keeps running on the Moselle
As a record 2026 heatwave drove French rivers toward their thermal limits, EDF shut three reactors and curbed others, cutting about 8.7% of nuclear capacity. Cattenom, the plant Luxembourg has long contested, kept generating on the Moselle and was asked by the grid operator to stay available.
By Marc Weber27 June 2026
Society
Heatwave
Findel hits 36.3°C, Luxembourg's hottest June day on record, as heatwave grips Europe
Luxembourg recorded its hottest June day since observations began in 1947, with 36.3°C at Findel on 25 June, as a record-breaking heatwave gripped France, the UK and much of Western Europe and triggered red alerts and emergency measures at home.
By Léa Hoffmann26 June 2026
Society
National Day
Luxembourg Marks First National Day of Grand Duke Guillaume's Reign Under a Red Heat Warning
Luxembourg celebrated its National Day on 23 June 2026, the first of Grand Duke Guillaume's reign, with a Philharmonie ceremony, military parade and Te Deum — even as a severe heatwave and a red weather warning gripped the country.
By Tom Schmit24 June 2026
Society
Greater Region
Heatwave damages CFL track, disrupting cross-border rail in Luxembourg
A red-alert heatwave deformed track near Berchem on 22 June 2026, forcing Luxembourg's CFL to cancel and slow trains on its Esch-sur-Alzette and Thionville–Metz lines, hitting cross-border commuters as rail networks across Europe cut services.
By Tom Schmit24 June 2026
Society
Climate
France hits record heat as Luxembourg and the Greater Region brace for a midweek peak
An exceptionally early heatwave drove France to record temperatures and put more than half the country under red alert, while Luxembourg and the wider Greater Region stood up a crisis command post and warned the heat would intensify from Wednesday.
By Léa Hoffmann23 June 2026
Society
National Day
Grand Duke Guillaume reviews National Day parade for first time as sovereign
On his first National Day as reigning Grand Duke, Guillaume reviewed the military parade on Avenue de la Liberté and presided over the official ceremony at the Philharmonie, marking the symbolic start of a new reign eight months after Henri's abdication — and against a backdrop of record June heat.
By Tom Schmit23 June 2026
Politics
National Day
Frieden's National Day message centres on unity as a heatwave grips Luxembourg
On the eve of Luxembourg's 23 June National Day, Prime Minister Luc Frieden is due to deliver the government's flagship annual address, extending the social-cohesion message of his May state-of-the-nation speech. The celebrations unfold under a red-alert heatwave and mark Grand Duke Guillaume's first National Day as reigning sovereign.
By Camille Reuter22 June 2026
Society
Heatwave
Luxembourg issues red heat alert as temperatures near 40°C
Luxembourg's weather service has raised its alert to the highest level for an extreme heatwave forecast to push local temperatures toward 40°C, triggering a coordinated state response as France, Spain and the UK also swelter under a persistent heat dome.
By Tom Schmit22 June 2026
Society
Climate
Luxembourg raises heat warning to red ahead of National Day as heatwave grips Europe
Luxembourg will raise its heat warning to red from midday Monday, 22 June, as a Europe-wide heatwave pushes temperatures toward 40°C, disrupts the Luxembourg-Metz railway and tests emergency services on the eve of National Day.
By Léa Hoffmann21 June 2026