According to a video shared on French online media Cerfia on July 2, during the heatwave, French people were even willing to go to extreme lengths to buy air conditioners. One woman fainted in a Lidl supermarket that morning, but she held onto the air conditioner tightly with both hands.
According to AFP, on July 2, French discount supermarket Lidl introduced approximately 200,000 fans and air conditioners to cool down the environment, leading to a rush buying phenomenon in many parts of the country.
At a Lidl store in Paris's 19th arrondissement, a long queue formed at the entrance at 7 a.m., two hours before the store opened. The police arrived at the scene to maintain order. Although most customers waited patiently, some tried to cut through the line, leading to arguments.
The on-site manager once shouted, "If you continue like this, I won’t open the door!" However, what disappointed customers even more was that an employee revealed that the store actually only received two air conditioners that day.
A large number of videos spread on social media show that several Lidl stores experienced overcrowding, pushing and even competing for cooling equipment.
France has just experienced a historic heatwave that swept across the country. The French Meteorological Service issued a warning on June 30: Starting from this weekend, the country is likely to experience another wave of high temperatures, with temperatures in many areas possibly breaking through 35°C once more. At the same time, the severe consequences of this heatwave are becoming increasingly apparent.
According to data released by the French Society of Emergency Family Doctors (SOS Médecins) on the evening of June 30, during the week when heatwaves were most severe, the number of deaths among people aged 75 and above nearly doubled, reaching 513, compared to 278 the previous week. Additionally, the number of people of all ages receiving medical help due to heatstroke and dehydration increased by six times and four times, respectively.
From a meteorological perspective, many experts believe that the intensity of the heatwave in June 2026 will be greater than that of the historic heat wave in 2003, which resulted in the death of approximately 15,000 people.
The French government has recognized for the first time that the number of deaths due to heatwaves at home is significantly higher than in previous incidents. Public health experts predict that the number of deaths caused by high temperatures this summer could approach 7,000.
