Major power outage in France as Europe wilts under record heat

Europe is enduring a relentless heatwave, with France registering its hottest day on record. The national temperature indicator, an average of daytime and nighttime readings across 30 stations, reached 29.8°C on Tuesday, the highest since records started in 1947. This extreme weather is trapping hot air, a phenomenon exacerbated by global warming, according to experts.

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Visiting Paris in this heat is awful. We’re suffocating in the streets, we’re suffocating in the subway and we’re even suffocating in our rental

The heatwave has placed immense strain on infrastructure, leading to a significant power outage in northwestern France. Approximately 68,000 households in the Finistere department lost electricity due to a heat-related transformer incident. While repair efforts are underway, full power restoration is not expected until at least the end of Wednesday. By late Tuesday, up to 106,000 clients of the French power network had experienced outages.

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In theory, you have to submit a request to the owners’ association general meeting, but people don’t want to wait

With over 90% of the French population exposed to extreme heat, with temperatures forecast to reach 39°C to 41°C, demand for cooling solutions has skyrocketed. Retailers like Carrefour reported selling 30,000 units of fans and air conditioners in a single day, a massive increase compared to normal sales. Online sales and electronics stores have also seen double-digit growth.

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It’s difficult to live alone and without air conditioning

Many buildings in France are not designed for such extreme temperatures, leaving residents struggling. An electrician in the southwest reported being overwhelmed with emergency air conditioning installation requests, as people are unwilling to wait for formal approvals. "It's difficult to live alone and without air conditioning," said Martine Belloc, a retiree in Bordeaux. John Beeler, an American engineer visiting Paris, described the experience as "awful," stating, "We're suffocating in the streets, we're suffocating in the subway and we're even suffocating in our rental."

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a thousand times more than on a normal day