New record high temperatures set in France: Weather office

A host of towns and cities across France recorded their highest ever temperatures on Monday as the country sweltered in a heatwave, the national weather office said.

The mercury hit 39.3 Celsius (102.7 Fahrenheit) in Brest on the Atlantic coast in the far northwest of the country compared with a previous record of 35.1 C from 2002.

Saint-Brieuc on the Channel coast sizzled in 39.5 C compared with a previous record of 38.1 C, while western Nantes recorded 42 C, beating a previous high of 40.3 C set in 1949.