Thirty-Six Point Three

The temperature at Findel reached 36.3 degrees Celsius on Thursday, the hottest June day ever recorded at Luxembourg's reference weather station since records began in 1947. The previous June record was 35.4 degrees, set on June 22, 2017.[1]

The five highest June temperatures at Findel tell their own story. June 2026 at 36.3 degrees. June 2017 at 35.4. June 2019 at 34.7. June 1947 at 34.3. June 2002 at 33.8. Three of the five hottest Junes in nearly 80 years of record-keeping have occurred in the last decade.[2]

The all-time record at Findel remains 39 degrees, measured on July 25, 2019. Meteorologists told RTL that this new June record could be broken again over the coming days, as the heatwave shows no sign of breaking.[3]

Hospital admissions have increased but not overwhelming. Dr Jean-Claude Schmit, head of the Health Directorate, reported no excess mortality. Emergency departments have reorganised, with two city hospitals alternating night shifts and additional staff on duty. Medical director Claude Braun described patients arriving with dehydration, dropping blood pressure, and cardiac decompensation, but not classic heatstroke. The hospitals expect this weekend to be busier, with red alerts still in effect.[4]

Four days earlier, on 22 June, National Day, I wrote about the parade being adapted for heat. The record for 23 June was 31.7 degrees, set in 2016. The forecast suggested it could be broken. It was. The parade went ahead, the uniforms were lighter, the animals stayed home, and the temperature climbed past the old marker. A week later, the broader June record fell too.[5]

Luxembourg is a small country. Its weather station at Findel has been measuring since 1947. That is 79 years of data. In that time, the hottest Junes have clustered at the end of the record, not the beginning. The 1947 entry, 34.3 degrees, sits fourth on the list. It was remarkable then. It is ordinary now.[6]