France Bans Street Drinking Amid 'Monster Heatwave' Alert with Temperatures Soaring to 42°C; 5,700 Deaths Last Year

Highest-Level Alert Issued for One-Third of France
Inter-Ministerial Crisis Response Team Activated

As Europe braces for a heatwave with temperatures expected to surpass 40 degrees Celsius from the weekend through early next week, France has prohibited alcohol consumption during street festivals.

As a heatwave sweeps across France, a man cools off at the fountain in Stalingrad Square. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News.

According to Yonhap News on June 20 (local time), citing major foreign media such as AFP, "Météo-France, the French national weather service, has forecast that by June 21, maximum temperatures across various regions of France will reach 39 to 40 degrees Celsius, with some areas potentially soaring to as high as 42 degrees." The report stated that the heatwave on Monday, June 22, is expected to approach all-time record highs. It was also noted that it remains uncertain when this heatwave will end. Experts pointed out that heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.

In response, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a cabinet meeting on this day to discuss countermeasures against the heatwave and decided to issue the highest-level red heat alert for more than one-third of the country's administrative regions on June 21, when the nationwide annual music festival, Fete de la Musique, is held. In regions under the red alert, alcohol consumption is banned at street festivals. An inter-ministerial crisis response team has also been activated. AFP estimated that the population affected by the red alert will reach 26 million people.

Sophie Brocas, governor of Gironde, announced that temperatures on Sunday are expected to approach 40 degrees Celsius and ordered a ban on all outdoor events, sports competitions, festivals, and cultural activities during the daytime until the red alert is lifted.

Additionally, the French government has decided not to serve alcohol at events hosted by public institutions. This measure is intended to allow emergency services and the healthcare system to focus on caring for vulnerable groups during the heatwave.

The French Public Health Agency estimated that around 5,700 people died due to heatwaves in France last year, a significant increase compared to 3,700 deaths in 2024. Most of the fatalities were among people aged 75 or older.

A pedestrian shading themselves from the sunlight in Paris, France. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

France is not the only country facing extreme heat. The Spanish meteorological agency has reported that certain areas are expected to experience scorching temperatures reaching up to 44 degrees Celsius. In Portugal, some regions are forecast to see temperatures rise to 42 degrees Celsius on June 23 and 24, while the UK Met Office expects maximum temperatures in some areas to reach 36 degrees Celsius on June 22 and 23. The Met Office further warned that the June temperature record of 35.6 degrees, set in 1957 and 1976, might be broken.

In Germany, forecasts predict temperatures close to 38 degrees Celsius combined with high humidity, raising the risk of thunderstorms. During the night of June 19 to 20, storms occurred amid the heatwave, resulting in localized flooding in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where river levels briefly surged by nearly 2 meters and several people were injured.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.