Thankfully in Paris it doesn't look like we're going to get it as bad as was expected. It's "only" going to be 100f/38c today and 90f/32c tomorrow. Hot, but considering that just a few days ago my weather app predicted 107f/42c, it's welcome.
Still, it's hot. My daughter's school actually suggested parents keep their kids home today, as they aren't equipped for this heat.
sandspar•1h ago
How common is air conditioning in Paris? What proportion of homes have air conditioning, either built-in or portable? How about businesses? Does Paris have sufficient "cooling stations", as in, large, air conditioned, public-friendly businesses like malls or community centers?
JustFinishedBSG•1h ago
Very uncommon / inexistant in private appartements except I guess if you live in a very very very upscale appartement.
Installing AC is actually not allowed in many places ( because of urbanism laws)
Only possible AC is those single hose mobile units which are wildly inefficient and close to useless while burning energy.
cpa•1h ago
Fairly uncommon in homes (although I wouldn't go as far as the sibling comment that it's only for very upscale homes—I know plenty of people who are getting equipped). Because the unit has to be outside, there are many historic buildings where you can't install AC. It's less of a problem in other parts of France.
Businesses open to the public and offices almost universally have AC, though, except maybe for mom and pop shops, so you definitely can go to the mall or the movies to get some fresh air.
dustincoates•27m ago
Some offices are better than other when it comes up AC. My last regular office would turn the AC off for the entire floor if any windows were open. But then the meeting rooms would get stuffy, and people would open windows, so there effectively was no AC.
The best place to go during weather like this is actually a grocery store: Picard, which only sells frozen food and so you get the escaped chill from the freezers.
mslansn•20m ago
Paris has many historic buildings, but it’s not like the average Joe lives in any of those.
globular-toast•54m ago
The trouble is if you just retrofit aircon with no other changes you actually increase the outside temperature, possibly by more than 2 degrees[0].
This has worried me since I was a child. If everyone has AC it's a race to the bottom as it gets warmer and warmer, AC has to work harder, using more and more energy etc. You end up with hellhole cities where you can't be outside at all. It's simply not sustainable. We have to do other things like having green spaces, less tarmac, shutters on windows etc.
> Still, it's hot. My daughter's school actually suggested parents keep their kids home today, as they aren't equipped for this heat.
Reminds me of when my colleague from Sri Lanka said that kids there will be sent home if the temperature drops below 16C. That’s a decent summers day in Scotland. We struggled to sleep last night after a sweltering 21C yesterday. I think I might burst into flames at 42C.
orwin•1h ago
I was in southern Francz last week. There the heatwave (consistent 34C+ in the day, consistent 24+ during the night) started exactly two weeks ago with a single interruption last Wednesday night (which was nice but caused the wind to fall on Thursday making sailing boring).
Since I left last Saturday, the heat got close to 43 and birds are falling from their nest, knocked out by the high temperature. Good luck to anyone there.
tempera•42m ago
Normal summer weather is used to install anxiety in the minds of the populace, so they will easier accept future draconian measures.
moeffju•28m ago
There is nothing normal about this, as you can easily verify by looking at recorded weather history.
moi2388•4m ago
I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve had these temperatures in summer as a child in the same location I am now.
dustincoates•1h ago
Still, it's hot. My daughter's school actually suggested parents keep their kids home today, as they aren't equipped for this heat.
sandspar•1h ago
JustFinishedBSG•1h ago
Installing AC is actually not allowed in many places ( because of urbanism laws)
Only possible AC is those single hose mobile units which are wildly inefficient and close to useless while burning energy.
cpa•1h ago
Businesses open to the public and offices almost universally have AC, though, except maybe for mom and pop shops, so you definitely can go to the mall or the movies to get some fresh air.
dustincoates•27m ago
The best place to go during weather like this is actually a grocery store: Picard, which only sells frozen food and so you get the escaped chill from the freezers.
mslansn•20m ago
globular-toast•54m ago
This has worried me since I was a child. If everyone has AC it's a race to the bottom as it gets warmer and warmer, AC has to work harder, using more and more energy etc. You end up with hellhole cities where you can't be outside at all. It's simply not sustainable. We have to do other things like having green spaces, less tarmac, shutters on windows etc.
[0] https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/08/30/fact-check-is-air-...
thebruce87m•1h ago
Reminds me of when my colleague from Sri Lanka said that kids there will be sent home if the temperature drops below 16C. That’s a decent summers day in Scotland. We struggled to sleep last night after a sweltering 21C yesterday. I think I might burst into flames at 42C.