A water sprayer at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Image: keystone
For geographical reasons, the country suffers particularly from the “canicule”, the heat wave. Dozens of deaths put the government on alert.
June 23, 2026, 8:00 p.mJune 23, 2026, 8:00 p.m
On Sunday, the government imposed a ban on alcohol at the traditional music festival in the hottest departments. This arrangement ensured a relatively quiet evening. The government is therefore considering banning or restricting the consumption and sale of alcohol in public spaces next weekend.
More than half of the 96 mainland departments have declared the highest warning level, red. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu hastily called an emergency meeting on Tuesday. He wants – must – prevent conditions like the heat wave of 2003, when 15,000 mostly older people died of heat strokes and lack of fluids. The trauma of overcrowded morgues is still present in France today.
Toddlers suffocated in car
The first deaths attributed to the high temperatures are reported from retirement homes. An indication of the critical situation: admissions to emergency departments have jumped by 60 percent.
But it also affects young people. The Ministry of Sports reported 40 deaths in rivers and stagnant water alone on Tuesday. In Carpentras (southern France), two children died in the sweltering heat of their car.
The prefectures warn in communiqués against careless behavior by parents and teenagers. Small children can lose their breathable air within minutes in an overheated vehicle. Jumping into dangerous waters or even just swimming in unnoticed currents can have fatal consequences. Swimming bans are nevertheless ignored in many places, including in the trendy Parisian resort, the Canal Saint-Martin.
Dangerous jump into the wet – here on the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris.Image: keystone
“Let’s take care of each other!” Head of State Emmanuel Macron warned his compatriots on social media. Its prime minister oversaw the closure of over a thousand schools. A tenth of the trains in France no longer run due to the heat. The government recommends working from home.
In the capital Paris, the “canicule”, the heat wave, is even more noticeable than elsewhere due to the lack of green spaces. Students and seniors often can no longer stand it in the former “Chambres de bonne”, the servants’ rooms or attic rooms under the zinc roofs. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire has therefore ordered that the city’s parks and city gardens remain open at night.
There are hardly any free park benches there anymore: If you can’t afford a “clim” (air condition) or were too late to buy a fan in the store, you spend most of your time in the city park.
Many mobile phone applications “Free Taps” give advice in Paris on where to get water or at least some fresh air. Or which are the coolest shopping centers or train stations. The 10th district of Paris is organizing an operation “ciné-clim”: for people under 29 or over 65, air-conditioned cinema visits are free.
On Sunday, the government imposed a ban on alcohol at the traditional music festival in the hottest departments. This arrangement ensured a relatively quiet evening. The government is therefore considering banning or restricting the consumption and sale of alcohol in public spaces next weekend.
The fact that the government drastically cut back on a plan to combat global warming for budget reasons a few months ago is currently being ignored in France. (schweiztoday.ch)
You might also be interested in: