In response to the Western Europe summer heat wave, France bans drinking alcohol in public.
Posted by Leslie Eastman
Western Europeans barely have time to locate their sunglasses this year before the annual media ritual kicks off: cue the ominous “heat dome” graphics, breathless headlines, and declarations that civilization is one sunny afternoon away from collapse.
Holy color saturation Batman.
Someone take the red and pink crayons away. https://t.co/ST1S1AKgl3
— Chris Martz (@ChrisMartzWX) June 24, 2026
Never mind that summer heat has been a feature of the season since forever. Perfectly ordinary seasonal temperature swings are being repackaged with apocalyptic flair to keep the climate panic narrative on a steady simmer.
Much of western Europe baked under a “heat dome” Wednesday as temperatures soared toward 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in places, and weather agencies warned that the extreme conditions could endanger lives across countries, many of which have limited air conditioning.
France recorded its hottest-ever day for the second day running. The Meteo France weather agency said the country’s national thermal indicator — an average of temperatures measured at 30 weather stations — hit a new record of 30 C (86 F), the latest in a series of never-before-registered highs. The mercury surpassed 40 C (104 F) in some locations, including in Paris.
The French weather agency put three-quarters of the country under a red alert for extreme heat starting at midday Thursday until the same time Friday. The warning encompassed tens of millions of people. In the usually temperate Brittany region of northwest France, a heat-related equipment failure knocked out power to tens of thousands of households that had to endure without electric fans.
Fortunately, some qualified meteorologists and climate experts are on this case this year. The temperature realities are not quite as dire as the elite media would have you believe.
This is incorrect.
Verargues recorded a high temperature of 46.0°C (114.8°F) on June 28, 2019.
Retract this misinformation and correct the record. https://t.co/cK8prezLba
— Chris Martz (@ChrisMartzWX) June 24, 2026
Temperatures have been far more toasty in previous years, when the levels of carbon dioxide were lower.
Several of Europe’s all-time national heat records were set long before modern CO₂ concentrations reached current levels, including Poland (1921), Romania (1951), Bulgaria (1916), Ireland (1887), Sweden (1947), Norway (1970), and Greece (1977). At the same time, a large cluster… https://t.co/I43AlMDAII
— Dr. Matthew M. Wielicki (@MatthewWielicki) June 24, 2026
Furthermore, Western Europe does not represent the entire planet.
Climate hoax breakdown: It may be ‘even’ warmer in Europe today vs. yesterday but it is ‘even’ cooler globally today vs. yesterday. https://t.co/9W1wRJckPdhttps://t.co/fqRVG3Stv7 pic.twitter.com/lsppuH5eF8
— Steve Milloy (@JunkScience) June 24, 2026
In fact, according to meteorologist Chris Matrz, the current heat dome is the result of a naturally occurring phenomenon.
Well, it has to do with the “omega block” in the jet stream. Omega blocks get their name because they resemble the Greek uppercase letter omega, Ω.
You can see that in the synoptic setup. The map below on the left shows the 500 mb geopotential height anomaly at 18z. The contour lines resemble the Ω shape due to an enormous high-pressure ridge in the mid-troposphere that is sandwiched between two low-pressure systems to its east and west.
Hot Saharan air has been advected—that is, horizontally transported—northward into western Europe due to anticyclonic (clockwise) airflow, and as that air mass moves north, it is compressed adiabatically beneath the ridge where air is sinking.
Why is it hot in Europe this week?
Well, it has to do with the “omega block” in the jet stream. Omega blocks get their name because they resemble the Greek uppercase letter omega, Ω.
You can see that in the synoptic setup. The map below on the left shows the 500 mb… pic.twitter.com/D2KHo9cOv3
— Chris Martz (@ChrisMartzWX) June 25, 2026
As thermometers climb, so too does the hysteria, with every warm breeze treated less like weather and more like a chance for ginning up fear and pushing for the development of more harmful “climate crisis” policy.
Interestingly, one of those new “climate crisis” policies is being trotted out in France. French officials have temporarily restricted alcohol consumption in public spaces in many areas affected by the heat wave.
A growing swath of France, spreading on Monday to more than half its regions, was under a “red alert” for heat, with areas forecast to suffer highs past 104 F and nights not dropping below 68 F.
Broadcasts on the Paris transport network urged commuters to hydrate. Medical specialists warned of the potentially deadly combination of drinking alcohol in extreme heat. Authorities cracked down on alcohol consumption in public.
Multiple drownings were reported as people sought relief in rivers, despite warnings about currents and other dangers.
The pattern, then, is as predictable as the summer solstice itself: temperatures rise, the media machine whirs to life, and perfectly normal seasonal heat gets dressed up in the language of civilizational catastrophe.
Yet the data tells a more measured story: prior eras saw comparable or greater heat with lower atmospheric CO₂. Western Europe is not a proxy for global climate, and the meteorologists willing to say so are increasingly making themselves heard.
What is genuinely alarming is not the thermometer, but the policy reflex it triggers: restrictions on public alcohol consumption in France, a cascade of red alerts encompassing tens of millions of people, and an implicit argument that ordinary citizens must surrender yet another small liberty in the name of a crisis whose parameters are forever shifting.
If the goal were truly public safety, the conversation would center on practical adaptations, such as access to air conditioning and urban heat mitigation, rather than on prohibition and panic.
Summer is hot. It has always been hot. The question worth asking is not whether the heat dome graphic will return next June, but who benefits when it does.
Meanwhile, alarmists should check out this video as a reminder of why Earth has seasons:
