Europe heatwave drives France red alerts, school disruption and heat-related deaths

A viral video from Paris is drawing attention online after showing dozens of people using an IKEA store as a cool retreat during one of Europe's most intense heatwaves in recent years.Shared on X, the clip was posted with the caption, "People in Paris at IKEA to get some AC relief from the heat wave." Another line over the video reads, "POV: The Paris heatwave turned IKEA into a lounge."Instead of browsing furniture, many visitors are seen relaxing on showroom sofas, beds and armchairs. Some are lying on display mattresses, others are chatting with friends, scrolling through their phones, or using handheld fans while enjoying the air-conditioned environment.The scenes have resonated with viewers, highlighting how extreme weather is changing everyday routines and prompting people to look for creative ways to escape dangerous temperatures.People in Paris at IKEA to get some AC relief from the heat wave. pic.twitter.com/MtVI0ju8Qh— Misy7 (@MisyDP) June 29, 2026 Europe faces one of its hottest early summersThe viral moment comes as much of Western Europe experiences an exceptionally severe heatwave. France, Germany, Italy, Spain and parts of southern England have all recorded temperatures well above seasonal norms, with several regions seeing daytime highs climb into the upper 30s and even above 40°C.Scientists have linked the extreme temperatures to a combination of a persistent high-pressure system, cloudless skies and a surge of hot air moving northward from North Africa. These conditions have intensified the heat and prolonged the unusually hot spell across the region.These furniture pieces are USED now — Andleeb (@1stepAndleeb) June 29, 2026 Experts have repeatedly warned that climate change is making heatwaves more frequent, longer-lasting and more intense across Europe, increasing risks to public health and infrastructure.France introduces measures to protect residentsThe soaring temperatures have disrupted daily life across France. Local authorities have introduced emergency measures to help residents cope with the heat, including restrictions and temporary school closures in some areas. The heatwave in France resulted in Paris' famous Seine River being flooded by hundreds of people in desperate need of cooling down. Given the amount of raw sewage that's usually in there, the hospitals may be busy soon tooWriters: Mhedi, Ianpic.twitter.com/ToRhLJso6t— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 21, 2026 Health services have also faced growing pressure as elderly people, children and those with underlying medical conditions remain especially vulnerable during prolonged periods of extreme heat. Officials have urged residents to stay hydrated, avoid outdoor activities during peak afternoon hours and spend time in cool, air-conditioned spaces whenever possible.Reports indicate that approximately 1,000 excess deaths were recorded in France over a four-day period during the exceptional June heatwave, underlining the potentially deadly impact of extreme temperatures.

The heatwave, which reportedly began on June 20, has shut schools and museums early and disrupted power generation, transport and healthcare systems across the continent.

The heatwave that has gripped Europe for days is slowly shifting eastward, bringing some relief to France, where fewer than half of the country's departments remain on maximum alert as of Saturday, down from two-thirds the previous day. However, healthcare services continue to face intense pressure, prompting the Paris region to activate an emergency hospital plan, while authorities have banned evening alcohol sales and public drinking and postponed or cancelled numerous events. Despite the easing conditions, the French government continues to face criticism over its long-term response to climate change-driven heatwaves, with school closures and a lack of air conditioning in hospitals and retirement homes highlighting ongoing concerns. Peter O'Brien reports.

In France, dozens of people including both ​young ⁠and old have died during the heatwave

Europe braced on Wednesday for another day of a sweltering heatwave that has smashed records, left tens of thousands of people without power and sent air conditioner sales zooming in a continent unused and ill-equipped to handle searing heat. The extreme weather is being driven by atmospheric patterns that keep hot air trapped in place for days, with these factors worsened by global warming, experts say. France’s national temperature indicator — an average of daytime and nighttime temperatures across 30 stations — reached 29.8 °C on Tuesday, the hottest since measurements began in 1947. With four more French departments being put under the highest heat alert category on Wednesday, around 44 million people are affected, according to AFP calculations. Added to the 31 departments currently on orange alert, more than 90 per cent of the French population is exposed to extreme heat, with temperatures of 39°C to 41°C expected on Wednesday from Brittany to the Paris region, and in much of the southwest. The heatwave caused the country’s first major power outage of the latest bout of extreme weather, after a heat-related incident with a transformer left around 68,000 households on Wednesday without electricity in the northwestern Finistere department, the authorities said. While teams worked through the night to fix the issue, which took place late Tuesday, power is not expected to be restored in full until the end of Wednesday at the earliest. Up to 106,000 clients of the French power network were left without power by late Tuesday, as the scorching temperatures strain infrastructure built for the days before man-driven climate change made heatwaves longer, more frequent and more intense, according to scientists. Sales of fans and air conditioners skyrocketed in a country where most buildings are not designed to cope with extreme heat. On Monday, hypermarket operator Carrefour had sold 30,000 units by 6:30pm — “a thousand times more than on a normal day”, CEO Alexandre Bompard said. Sales on Amazon nearly doubled last week compared with the same period in 2025, while the electronics outlet Fnac Darty reported double-digit growth. Thierry, an electrician in southwest France, said he was overwhelmed by requests for “emergency” air-conditioning installations. “In theory, you have to submit a request to the owners’ association general meeting” in residential complexes, “but people don’t want to wait”. “It’s difficult to live alone and without air conditioning,” said Martine Belloc, a 62-year-old retiree in Bordeaux, who on Tuesday went to La ManuCo, a coworking site that mobilised to welcome elderly people. ‘We’re suffocating’ John Beeler, a 45-year-old American engineer, said he and his wife were baking in the French capital. “Visiting Paris in this heat is awful,” he told AFP, wearing a fisherman’s hat and holding a small fan. “We’re suffocating in the streets, we’re suffocating in the subway and we’re even suffocating in our rental,” he said, adding that they would be moving to an air-conditioned hotel room. Italy’s health ministry declared a red heatwave alert in 16 cities on Wednesday, including Milan and Rome. The heatwave is expected to extend into eastern Europe in the coming days. Poland’s weather service issued high-level heat warnings for the western part of the country from Thursday to Saturday, forecasting temperatures could break the record of 40.2°C set in 1921. Croatia’s popular Adriatic coast was also put under red alert for Friday and Saturday. Hungary, already under a second-level heat alert, said it was raising that to the maximum level from Saturday to Tuesday as temperatures continued to rise. The current heatwave is “significantly exacerbated by human-induced climate change”, without which the current temperatures would have been 2 to 4°C cooler, according to a scientific study published this week. But some relief could start to come from the west on Wednesday, when Spain’s national weather service said temperatures would drop in most of the country. No quick relief But no quick temperature drop is in sight across much of the rest of western Europe. From Wednesday until at least Friday, the central and southern Netherlands will be under a code orange for extreme heat. Anyone living in Amsterdam with a city pass may swim for free in six city outdoor pools, while the national rail company NS will run fewer trains on a number of routes starting Wednesday. In Britain, James Bowen, assistant general secretary at the National Association of Head Teachers, told AFP that “pretty much every school up and down the UK will be having to make some form of adaptation this week in light of the extreme heat. “I think it’s fair to say that the school estate in the UK is not well prepared for this level of heat,” he said. After some of France’s most visited sites, such as the Louvre museum and the Eiffel Tower, decided to limit visiting hours, the management of one of Belgium’s best-known monuments, the space-age Atomium in Brussels, said it would close earlier to visitors from Wednesday to Friday.

Europe is in the grip of a devastating heatwave, with France experiencing its hottest day on record. Schools are closing, workers are struggling, and red alerts are issued as temperatures soar, leaving citizens to cope with the unbearable heat.