Europe is in the grip of an unprecedented heatwave, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius across wide areas of the continent. France recorded its highest national average temperature since measurements began in 1947, at 29.8 degrees, while forecasters there expect peaks of 39 to 41 degrees. Italy declared a red heat alert in 16 cities, including Milan and Rome, and Poland warned that temperatures could challenge its all-time record of 40.2 degrees set in 1921.
Consumers are reacting immediately. In France, Carrefour sold 30,000 fans and air conditioners in a single day, and Amazon’s sales nearly doubled within a week compared with last year. In Britain, Currys reported a 3,000% jump in fan purchases and a 330% rise in air-conditioner sales. In the Nordic countries, demand for air conditioning has surged, and Power said weekend sales of fans and air conditioners rose 565%.
Some buyers are moving from temporary cooling devices to permanent installations, assuming the extreme heat will last. Companies are adapting too: German shipping giant DHL equipped more than 111,000 workers with “cooling boxes” containing reusable cooling towels, wrist coolers and UV neck shields so deliveries can continue in the heat. In major cities, daily routines are being disrupted as schools and workplaces change hours and construction and delivery firms shorten shifts to avoid the hottest parts of the day.
Reuters quoted residents describing the conditions as unbearable. An American engineer in Paris said he felt suffocated in the street, the metro and his rented apartment. A 62-year-old retiree in Bordeaux without air conditioning called the heat intolerable, and a 58-year-old electrician in Madrid said temperatures kept rising even away from direct sunlight. A 2025 study by the University of Mannheim and European Central Bank economists estimates that climate extremes could cost the European Union about 126 billion euros, or 143 billion dollars, by 2029, as heat raises cooling demand and energy use in a self-reinforcing cycle.
