Paris and 16 French departments hit by unprecedented May heatwave: 39C forecast
Paris and 16 other French departments brace for unprecedented May heatwave as temperatures hit 39°C
France’s national weather agency, Météo-France, has placed Paris and 16 other departments under orange heatwave alert from midday Thursday, warning of temperatures peaking at 39°C—levels never before recorded in May. The heatwave, driven by a Saharan heat dome, will persist through the weekend, shattering records for both intensity and earliness, with climatologists calling it a "silent killer" responsible for more deaths than floods.
SNCF cancels trains amid fears of air-conditioning failures, suspending services on key routes including Paris-Southwest and Bordeaux-Marseille until Saturday. The rail operator cited risks of overheating infrastructure and passenger safety, as older trains struggle with extreme temperatures. Officials confirmed the cancellations would affect Thursday and Friday, with normal service resuming only after the heat subsides .
Health risks escalate as heatwave arrives early Robert Vautard, co-chair of the IPCC, warned that France remains ill-prepared for increasingly frequent early-season heatwaves, which disproportionately endanger elderly, homeless, and outdoor workers. With 14 heat-related deaths already reported across Europe—including in France, Germany, and the UK—authorities are scrambling to activate cooling centers and distribute water in high-risk areas. Schools in Paris may adjust schedules, though no official closures have been announced .
Climate crisis accelerates as Europe warms twice as fast as global average A Copernicus report released Wednesday confirmed Europe is the fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at double the global rate. The current heatwave, stretching from Ireland to Italy, has already forced red alerts in Italian cities including Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Turin, where authorities expect 40°C+ by Friday. Scientists link the extreme conditions to climate change, noting that human cooling mechanisms—like sweating—may soon prove insufficient in such heat .
Political fallout grows as energy transition debates resurface The heatwave has reignited criticism of France’s delayed climate policies, with experts arguing that electrification and renewable energy could mitigate future crises. The crisis arrives just months after energy price protests led to rollbacks in green regulations, leaving cities like Paris vulnerable to blackouts if demand for cooling spikes. Meanwhile, Météo-France attributes the heat dome to atmospheric blocking patterns, a phenomenon becoming more frequent due to Arctic warming .
Background: A new normal? France’s last May heatwave occurred in 2022, but this year’s event is earlier and more severe, with temperatures 10-15°C above seasonal norms. Climatologists predict such episodes will become annual occurrences by 2050 without drastic emissions cuts. For now, Paris and other cities are activating emergency plans, but officials warn that long-term adaptation—from heat-resistant infrastructure to urban greening—remains critically underfunded.
Paris and 16 French departments hit by unprecedented May heatwave: 39C forecast
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Chaleur extrême : la SNCF annule des trains par crainte de pannes de la climatisation Treize départements sont placés en vigilance orange ce mercredi, alors que jusquà 39°C sont attendus. Dix-sept départements, dont Paris, seront concernés jeudi. Ces températures caniculaires, totalement inédites pour un mois de mai, devraient se maintenir jusquà ce week-end.
liberation · about 23 hours ago
Hotter than July: Can electrification save humanity from soaring heat? Europes in meltdown... and its not even June yet. A not-so merry month of May as record highs explode under a heat dome thats drifted north from the Sahara. After the frying pan of an energy crisis, the fire of a heatwave forcing a reset by the same politicians who pandered to those who complained about the cost and red tape of recent energy transition policy.
france24 · about 23 hours ago
Episode de chaleur : «Jeudi, les températures grimpent encore dun cran», prévient Météo France Les fortes températures ne reculent pas dans lHexagone. Alors que de nouveaux records ont été battus, Paris et sa petite couronne basculent en vigilance orange à partir du jeudi 21 mai, à midi. 17 départements sont concernés.
liberation · 1 day ago
Robert Vautard, coprésident du Giec : «La chaleur est un tueur silencieux qui cause plus de décès que les inondations» Alors que le pays est assommé par de fortes températures, le climatologue et coprésident du Giec, Robert Vautard, alerte sur limpréparation du pays à des épisodes caniculaires qui deviennent de plus en plus précoces.
liberation · 1 day ago
Met Éireann extends thunderstorm warning to seven counties Met Éireanns station at Shannon Airport reported temperature of 30.5 degrees on Tuesday, provisionally a new record
irish times · 1 day ago
La SNCF annule des trains par crainte de pannes de la climatisation Plusieurs corails entre Paris et le Sud-Ouest ainsi quentre Bordeaux et Marseille ne circuleront pas jeudi et vendredi, a annoncé ce mercredi SNCF Voyageurs. Le retour à la normale est prévu samedi.
liberation · 1 day ago
With temperatures soaring to 30 degrees, Europe is the continent warming the fastest The Copernicus report reveals that temperatures are rising at twice the global average rate, while a "heat dome" is sweeping across Ireland, Spain, and Italy, with a red alert forecast for Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Turin tomorrow. Fourteen people have died in Germany, France, and the UK
eunews.it · 1 day ago
Canicule : quand la sueur ne suffira plus à refroidir notre corps Quand il fait chaud, nous refroidissons notre corps en transpirant. Or, en raison des vagues de chaleur provoquées par le dérèglement climatique, cette stratégie, acquise au cours de lévolution, risque de ne plus fonctionner, met en garde le quotidien nippon Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
courrier international · 1 day ago
La chaleur est terrifiante : la France suffoque et lété na même pas encore commencé Dans lHexagone, les records de température ne sont pas seulement battus, mais pulvérisés. Alors que la France navait jamais vécu de canicule si précoce, les défis politiques sont nombreux, écrit la presse internationale, notamment vis-à-vis des personnes fragiles, des écoles, des transports et des événements sportifs.
courrier international · 1 day ago
Val de căldură timpuriu în Europa de Vest. ANM explică fenomenul „domului de căldură și recordurile de temperatură ANM explică formarea unui val de căldură timpuriu și intens care afectează în special vestul Europei, fenomen asociat cu așa-numitul „dom de căldură. Țări din vestul și sudul Europei se confruntă cu temperaturi excepționale pentru sfârșitul lunii mai.
adevarul · 1 day ago
Canicule : la mécanique de Pascal Praud prend leau Avec le réchauffement climatique, la technique du présentateur vedette de CNews ne fonctionne pas aussi bien quen matière de sécurité ou dimmigration : les faits scientifiques démontent très vite les simples «impressions» ou le «bon sens».
liberation · 1 day ago