44°C in Paris: Why the City Banned Alcohol During the Heatwave

Extreme heatwave conditions across Western and Central Europe showing 2m air temperatures, with France, Italy, and the Alpine region experiencing widespread 35–40°C+ anomalies under a persistent heat dome pattern. Credit: Ventusky.

Paris hit 40°C last week. Hospitals reported a surge in heat-related emergencies. The city responded by banning public alcohol consumption and takeaway alcohol sales during peak heat hours – a measure intended to reduce alcohol-linked dehydration and cardiac stress as emergency services came under pressure.

The ban was issued on 25 June 2026 by the Paris Police Prefecture under Police Chief Patrice Faure.

Key developments

• Maximum temperatures reached 42-44°C in Bordeaux, Angoulême, and the Rhône Valley
• Nighttime temperatures stayed at 23-25°C, making it harder for the body to recover from heat built up during the day
• Schools closed across affected regions
• Public alcohol bans introduced in multiple cities as a heat-risk measure
• At least two heat-related deaths were reported at the peak of the heatwave

What’s driving this

Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating more than twice as fast as the global average. In cities like Paris, the urban heat island effect makes this worse – dense buildings and roads trap heat and limit cooling at night, which is why overnight temperatures stayed dangerously high.

The heatwave itself was driven by a heat dome – a slow-moving high-pressure system where air sinks and compresses, trapping heat near the surface. These systems often get locked in place by what meteorologists call an omega block, where the usual west-to-east flow of weather across the continent stalls. Heat and drought sit over the same region for days instead of moving on.

One reason these patterns are becoming more common is what’s happening in the Arctic. The Arctic is warming roughly four times faster than the rest of the world – a process called Arctic amplification. This reduces the temperature difference between the poles and the equator, which weakens the jet stream, the high-altitude river of air that steers weather across Europe. A weaker, wavier jet stream is more likely to stall. That’s what makes heat domes more persistent – and heatwaves like this one longer and more intense.

Why this matters

Extended heat like this does more than feel uncomfortable. It strains the body, the health system, and the city at once.

• Increased risk of heat illness and death, particularly for elderly people, outdoor workers, and those without air conditioning
• Rising pressure on emergency services and hospitals already managing heat-related admissions
• Reduced nighttime cooling in cities making multi-day heatwaves harder to survive
• Higher electricity demand for cooling, straining energy infrastructure
• Disruptions to tourism, outdoor labour, and transport

The governance response – alcohol bans, school closures, emergency advisories – reflects how cities are already being forced to adapt in real time.

What needs to change

• Expand urban green space and shaded cooling infrastructure in cities
• Integrate heat-risk planning into public health and urban governance
• Improve hospital surge capacity and emergency response systems for extreme heat events

What you can do

• Avoid alcohol during heatwaves, stay hydrated, and limit outdoor activity during peak heat hours (usually 11am-4pm)
• Find air-conditioned public spaces – libraries, shopping centres, community cooling hubs – if your home gets too hot. Advocate for more cool public spaces, shaded streets, and green infrastructure in your city 
• Check on elderly neighbours, young children, and anyone living alone
• Ask your local councillor or representative directly about heat adaptation – “Does my area have a heat action plan? How does it protect me?” 

Read more: Extreme weather events | Health risks | Climate Risks Daily 

Original source: Paris bans drinking alcohol in public as hospitals hit heatwave breaking point | Paris | The Guardian