Lead
Europe braced for another day of extreme heat on Wednesday as a sweltering heatwave continued to smash records, disrupt power supplies and drive a rush on cooling appliances in a continent unaccustomed to such temperatures.
France's national temperature indicator — an average of daytime and nighttime temperatures across 30 stations — reached 29.8°C on Tuesday, the hottest since measurements began in 1947, as reported by Dawn and the South China Morning Post. The same figure was cited in both outlets' coverage of the heatwave.
The extreme weather stems from atmospheric patterns that trap hot air over the region for days, a phenomenon experts say is intensified by global warming, according to reports from both outlets.
Coverage comparison
Dawn and the South China Morning Post both covered the heatwave's impact on France, highlighting record temperatures and surging sales of fans and air conditioners. Dawn's reporting placed emphasis on the human and infrastructural toll, including power outages and the scale of the affected population, while the South China Morning Post focused on the record-breaking temperatures and the consumer response to the heat.
Both outlets described the heatwave as "unprecedented" and noted that Europe is "unused and ill-equipped" to handle such searing conditions. Experts cited in both reports attributed the severity to a combination of atmospheric circulation patterns and human-driven climate change.
Key claims
Record temperatures and affected population
France's national temperature indicator hit 29.8°C on Tuesday, the highest reading since the measure was first recorded in 1947, according to both Dawn and the South China Morning Post.
Dawn reported that around 44 million people in France are affected by the heatwave, a figure based on calculations carried by the outlet. As more departments were placed under the highest heat alert category on Wednesday, more than 90 percent of the French population was exposed to extreme temperatures of 39°C to 41°C, from Brittany to the Paris region and much of the southwest, according to Dawn.
Power outage in Finistere
Dawn reported that the heatwave caused France's first major power outage of the current hot spell after a heat-related incident with a transformer left around 68,000 households without electricity in the northwestern Finistere department. The outage occurred late Tuesday, with authorities saying power might not be fully restored until the end of Wednesday. Dawn also cited figures suggesting up to 106,000 clients of the French power network were without power by late Tuesday, as extreme temperatures strained infrastructure not built for such conditions.
Surge in cooling appliance sales
Both outlets reported that sales of fans and air conditioners have skyrocketed in France, where most buildings are not designed to cope with extreme heat.
The South China Morning Post cited hypermarket operator Carrefour's CEO Alexandre Bompard as saying the company had sold 30,000 units by 6:30 pm on Monday — "a thousand times more than on a normal day." The same detail was included in Dawn's coverage. The South China Morning Post also noted that sales on Amazon nearly doubled last week compared with the same period in 2025, while electronics outlet Fnac Darty reported double-digit growth.
Italy's red alerts and eastward spread
Dawn reported that Italy's health ministry declared a red heatwave alert in 16 cities, including Milan and Rome. The same outlet also indicated that the heatwave is expected to extend into eastern Europe in the coming days.
Perspectives
Italy's health ministry declared red heatwave alerts in 16 cities, including Milan and Rome, according to Dawn, reflecting official concern over the public health risks posed by the extreme temperatures. The ministry's action highlights the strain that prolonged heat is placing on populations and authorities across the region.