France has imposed a ban on alcohol due to the extreme heat
A red alert was issued in France on Sunday due to an heatwave affecting an area covering more than a third of the country.
At the same time, authorities have banned the consumption of alcohol during the annual “Fête de la Musique” festival, which traditionally draws thousands of people to city streets.
According to Meteo-France, the heatwave has been ongoing since the beginning of the week, and temperatures in some regions could reach +41 °C.
This could be one of the highest readings in recorded history, though the duration of the heat wave remains uncertain.
Thirty-five French departments, including Paris, are under a red alert.
Due to the weather conditions, dozens of trains have already been canceled, classes in schools have been suspended, and the burden on emergency services has increased.
The French government has decided to ban alcohol in public places in regions under the red alert level and to refrain from serving alcohol at government events.
Authorities explain this as necessary to reduce the burden on medical services and protect vulnerable populations.
To help residents and tourists in Paris, authorities have decided to keep parks and gardens open at night so that people can cope with the heat more easily.
This was reported by France24.
In Spain, May 2026 was a record-breakingly difficult month due to a heat wave that claimed the lives of at least 101 people. This is the highest figure for that month in the last 11 years of records, and it is more than three times the average for the previous decade. Authorities attribute the rise in mortality specifically to the impact of extremely high temperatures.
