▲ A pharmacy sign near the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, displays 41°C (106°F) at 3 p.m. on June 22.
"Is this what it feels like to stand in the Sahara Desert?" On the afternoon of June 22 (local time), when the highest-level red heatwave alert was issued for 49 out of 96 departments in mainland France, the temperature in downtown Paris reached 38°C (100°F). Even the wind was so hot that the words "Oh, it's hot!" slipped out of people's mouths without them realizing it.
Despite wearing wide-brimmed hats to block the sunlight, sweat began to pour down the back of people's necks and spines within five minutes of stepping outside.
Tourists walking along the Champs-Élysées in the sweltering heat coped with the extreme weather by frequently entering and leaving air-conditioned shops.
The Galeries Lafayette department store on the Champs-Élysées became a major refuge for people.
A South Korean newlywed couple cooling off inside the department store said they had arrived in Paris the previous day. "We expected it to be hot, but we didn't know it would be this hot," they said. "Because of the extreme heat, we scheduled indoor activities like visiting museums in between. We also stopped by this department store just to cool off for a bit."
The areas around temporary drinking fountains installed on the streets were crowded with people trying to get water.
Next to a homeless person lying under the shade of a tree in the middle of the street, two pet dogs lay flat on the ground, panting heavily with their tongues sticking out.
Cold slushies were selling like hotcakes in the heat.
"With the weather this hot, it feels like we are selling 10 times more slushies than usual, if not more," said a stall worker who was serving a continuous line of customers. "We started at 10 a.m., and now, at 3 p.m., we are almost sold out. We have so many orders that we barely have enough time to make them."
Subway ventilation grates became another temporary refuge for those exhausted by the heatwave.
A group of men gathered over a ventilation grate, cooling their legs with the cool air, which was mixed with a slightly musty smell.
"It's about 26–27°C (79–81°F) in Israel right now," said three Israeli tourists who had gathered at the grate to escape the heat, shaking their heads at the extreme temperature in Paris.
According to Météo-France, the national weather service, the national average temperature index (the average of day and night temperatures) recorded 29.2°C (85°F) as of 5 p.m. that day, making it the third-hottest day recorded since 1947.
The average temperature index for that day also set a new record high for June, breaking the previous record set on June 30 last year.
Record-high temperatures were broken in several French cities, with the temperature soaring to 41.9°C (107°F) in Bordeaux.
Out of concern for the safety of vulnerable groups, authorities closed 1,352 elementary and middle schools that day.
As a safety precaution, one in ten trains in the metropolitan area, including Paris, suspended operations that day.
Casualties from the heatwave are also mounting.
According to the daily newspaper Le Figaro, authorities said at least 13 people drowned across the country over the past weekend.
Local authorities in the southwestern region of Bordeaux also reported that three elderly people aged 80 to 95 died due to health complications caused by the heatwave.
Amid the raging heatwave, two children, aged 2 and 4, were found dead in a vehicle parked in a residential parking lot in southwestern France that day.
"The cause of death has not yet been determined, but the heatwave is suspected to be the main cause," the local prosecutor's office told AFP.
Météo-France warned that the heatwave would continue for the time being, announcing that a red alert would be issued for 54 departments—more than that day—and an orange alert for 35 departments on Tuesday, June 23.
Not only France, but also Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and the United Kingdom are suffering from the heatwave.
The UK has issued its highest-level red heatwave warning for central and southern England and southeastern Wales for June 24–25.
Temperatures in these areas are generally expected to exceed 37°C (99°F), with some parts reaching 38–40°C (100–104°F).
Some hospitals in the south declared a "critical incident" due to a surge in demand for emergency services, making them unable to accept patients whose lives were not in immediate danger.
Railway operators, including Great Western Railway, warned that some train services could be delayed or canceled as track temperatures could rise to levels requiring speed restrictions.
The Royal Meteorological Society predicted that the UK's record-high temperature for June would be broken.
Spain's weather agency also warned that high temperatures would persist day and night until June 24, with temperatures in some areas expected to rise up to 44°C (111°F).
Belgium also warned that temperatures this week could reach record highs, canceling or reducing train services to mitigate traffic congestion caused by train breakdowns.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.