This is 3.8 degrees above the average temperature for the month, breaking previous records from the heat waves in August 2003 and July 2006.
The month was also the third-driest July on record, according to the weather institute. Precipitation was almost 70 percent below average, which has led to parched soil and a very high fire risk.
The extreme conditions have contributed to the country being hit by a record number of fires. The forest fire in Gironde in southwestern France, which destroyed 42,000 hectares, is the largest in the country since 1949.
