--- title: "France Already Demolishing Record Summer Temperatures Predicted for 2050" description: "Temperatures in France exceeded those imagined in a 2014 doomsday exercise by more than 20 degrees in some cities." date: "2026-06-26" modified: "2026-06-26" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/france-record-summer-temperatures-prediction-2050" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" --- # France Already Demolishing Record Summer Temperatures Predicted for 2050 ![A teenager lays on the Passerelle de la Paix bridge, prior to jump in the Rhone river, in Lyon, southern France, on June 25, 2026 during a heatwave in France and Europe.]() *Oliver Chassignole / AFP via Getty Images* **\[Edit: France Already Demolishing..?\]** **\[alas, a bit of a pull back! but that feels more accurate\]** Whether it's on a bicycle**s** **for the Tour de France** or in the mercury slurry of a thermometer, the French can move fast when they want to. So fast, in fact, that the country has blasted past the temperature threshold set by a hypothetical forecast imagining what an August heatwave in the year 2050 might look like. The original forecast, made in 2014 by French meteorologist and broadcaster Évelyne Dhéliat, predicted August temperatures ranging from 79 to 109 degrees Fahrenheit at 34 cities throughout the country. On Wednesday, 19 of these 34 locales exceeded those doomsday predictions, and the rest of France wasn't too far behind. ![A side-by-side weather map of France, showing lower estimated temperatures for 2050 on the left, and actual temperatures on the right.]() "What the weather presenters created are only possible scenarios, and not true forecasts," caveated World Meteorological Organization spokesperson Clare Nullis in a statement [to the *Washington Post*](), which first reported the phenomenon. "Nevertheless, they are based on climate science, to try to explain to the public what life could be like on a warmer planet." In its reporting, *WaPo* which noted that temperatures reached as high as 112.3 degrees Fahrenheit in real life, far exceeding the theoretical temps by more than 20 degrees in some cities. It comes as Western Europe suffers from a [deadly week-long heatwave](). On Tuesday, France experienced its [hottest single day on record](), prompting officials to close both the Louvre museum and the Eiffel Tower. In late May, a similarly oppressive European heat dome [clashed with the French Open](), causing top-rated tennis players to collapse on the clay of the Stade Roland-Garros. **More on extreme heat:** *[Scientists Horrified as Huge Heatwave Hits Antarctica]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()