France Bans Alcohol In Public As Killer Heat Continues Across Europe

PARIS/AMSTERDAM/BERLIN, June 26 (Reuters) – Health authorities across Europe are on high alert as a deadly heatwave spreads across the continent, prompting an alcohol ban in France and cracking road surfaces in Germany.

From the UK and France to Germany, Italy, Austria and Serbia, Europe sizzles under a record-breaking ball of heat that spreads across the region. Scientists said the heatwave was the worst recorded for Europe, where the climate is changing faster than anywhere else.

In France and England, where June records were broken, temperatures have probably exceeded their peak. However, in Italy, the heat was expected to intensify towards the weekend and the first temperature values ​​​​of summer were expected to be 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

At least 55 heatwave-related deaths have been reported in France, where temperatures in Paris reached 40.9C on Wednesday. Although the temperature was expected to decrease, authorities were prepared for the possibility of more casualties. Across the continent, cultural structures were forced to close and farming suffered. Paris police have asked organizers of major events, including the Solidays music festival, to cancel the events. Pride festival organizers said they would reschedule.

ENGLAND AND NETHERLANDS IN CODE RED

Extreme heat caused the surface of the A2 motorway in East Germany to buckle and break in many lanes on Thursday evening, damaging up to 30 vehicles, slightly injuring two people and forcing the closure of the motorway, according to the BZ newspaper.

Britain’s Met Office has extended its red heat alert for a wide swath of southern England until Friday; This was the first time such warnings had been issued for three consecutive days.

A rare ‘code red’ alert for extreme heat has been issued for almost the entire Netherlands, with many schools closed as temperatures are expected to reach up to 40C.

In Serbia, authorities issued a yellow alert that the temperature was expected to be around 36 C. Authorities in Belgrade warned people to drink and stay indoors during the hottest hours. Fans flew off shelves in Britain, and Asian air conditioner makers reported booming sales in Europe. In France, state-owned power utility EDF has pledged to spend 80 million euros ($90 million) on cooling systems for schools, kindergartens and nurseries.

According to the latest data from the OECD member International Energy Agency (IEA), published in July 2025, household air conditioning ownership in Europe remains relatively low at around 20%.

‘OMEGA BLOCK’ HEAT FINDING IN EUROPE

The heatwave, which has pushed temperatures as much as 18C above the seasonal average, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor, is being driven by a weather pattern known as the Omega block.

This traps a bulging ball of warm air, with cooler air around its edges, over regions for long periods of time.

Record-breaking heatwave would have been “almost impossible” without human-caused climate change, scientists said; That makes the likelihood of this week’s stiflingly hot overnight temperatures 100 times greater than it was two decades ago.

“This heat wave in the region studied is the most severe heat wave ever recorded,” the World Weather Attribution group of climate scientists said in their latest analysis.

‘Apocalypse’ for HEALTH WORKERS

French authorities announced a ban on alcohol consumption in public places on Friday, when France will play Norway in the World Cup in Boston.

French doctors and hospital staff reported an increase in emergency calls and treatments.

Wilfrid Samut, spokesman for the French Association of Emergency Physicians, said hospitals were unprepared for the heat wave.

“The impact on the mental health of healthcare workers is huge,” he said. “This is apocalyptic.”