Record heat overwhelms Paris mortuaries as France braces for more heat

Paris funeral directors were running out of room for the dead as the late-June heat wave pushed one mortuary’s cold room to all 32 spaces filled, with Zouhaeir Hertelli turning families away.

Météo-France placed 54 departments, about half the country, under a red heatwave alert as forecasters warned of daytime highs above 40 degrees Celsius in many towns. Météo-France recorded France’s hottest-ever night from Monday into Tuesday, and conditions were expected to remain extreme at least through the end of the week. In a country where widespread air-conditioning is still uncommon, the heat has disrupted rail service, sporting events and daily routines far beyond Paris.

At least 18 heat-related deaths were recorded in France early in the week, including two children, ages 2 and 4, who were found unconscious in a hot car outside their home in southeastern France. In Bordeaux, temperatures climbed to 41.9C, and deaths among older residents in the region have been linked to the heat. French officials warned about water safety, with 13 drownings from Sunday into Monday and 40 drownings across the country since June 18.

France built its heat watch warning system after the deadly August 2003 heat wave, when an estimated 15,000 people died.

The World Health Organization counted 61,672 excess deaths in the European region in the summer of 2022 and 47,500 heat-related deaths in 2023. Copernicus Climate Change Service puts Europe at around 2.5C above pre-industrial levels and the fastest-warming continent, with warming since the 1980s running at roughly twice the global average.