Yikes! The Sahara is on the move...WE'RE MELTING OVER HERE!!!
‘Exceptionally intense’ conditions prompt weather alerts in Spain, Portugal and France, with elderly people and children most at risk
Several European governments have issued weather warnings as a heatwave sweeping through Portugal, Spain and France pushes temperatures above 40C (104F), raising concerns for elderly people and children.
Paris, which has activated its national heatwave emergency plan, is particularly sensitive to the risks after a European-wide heatwave in 2003 led to nearly 20,000 deaths, killing thousands of isolated elderly people in France.
The French ecology minister, Ségolène Royal, has called on those in charge of air-conditioned public spaces, such as libraries, cinemas and shopping malls, to let in the public for respite from the heat. “I don’t think this heatwave will have the same consequences as the one in 2003 because we weren’t as prepared at that time,” Royal said.
The high temperatures, brought on by a mass of hot air flowing north from Africa to Europe in recent days, are expected to last all week and extend further north to the UK and Belgium.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/30/heatwave-temperature-continent-40-spain-portugal-france
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OK, OK, you hardy folk stateside think that 104°F in the shade is just par for the course.
But, Europeans are NOT used to this and in general aren't equipped to deal with it. Almost nobody has AC in their homes, because it's almost never needed.
The wonderous Gulf Stream usually protects us from the searing Saharan winds, but not right now.
We're stuck in the middle of a super high-pressure front which is keeping the Gulf Stream at bay, and allowing those scorching winds to migrate north.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I think that your high pressure ridge has moved over here pushed by the prevailing westerlies.
Anything above 20 to 25°C and we begin to expire! LOL!
Further south, in the Midi, they're used to higher and drier temps.
That's for sure--a shock to the system.
VIVE LA BELLE ET DOUCE FRANCE !
The French countryside is a world treasure. I don't know the Château d'Anet. Will have to look it up.
Their chocolate and coffee flavored yogurts make a tasty desert. 
Pacific NW. Wishing you some healing and soothing rain.And you as well!
And worse to come:
his 'snowball' over here and try to hold it for 10 seconds down in the Paris streets.
They will only wake up when its their property or livelihood that are under threat.
we've entered the 6th great mass extinction cycle. I would never put money into any of them being worth even a warm pitcher of spit.
Florida is sinking under the waves of Mother Earth. They don't care Surya, the just don't. And that is why I hate them so. All that crap about Good Shepards went in one ear and out the other.
If I could build a big enough spaceship, I would launch them all into the Sun and tell them it doesn't really exist so shut up and eat some cake.
I don't think you meant that the way it came out. 
Your SoCal temps, I mean.
What the hell is going on?
Pack up a case of that cool and send it our way!
I've lived my entire life in an area that gets as high as 120F and have never had a home or car with AC.
Lots of water, lots of hats, lots of fans, leave the house open all night and closed tight during the day.
Thankfully its a low humidity area. But one tiny shift like this would wreak devastating havoc on those trapped in one. 
are these things called cool wraps or cooling scarves. They are like a scarf with tiny beads inside that hold moisture like an ice pack.
You soak them in water and put them in the fridge and then wear them around your neck or wherever you like.
I got mine cheap at a local discount store. Stay cool!
I absolutely hate the heat. I am uncomfortable when it goes above 75 F.
We have been lucky here in Boston so far, it has been a fairly mild June, only a few humid days. Usually our summers are beastly hot and humid. I think I spend more time inside in the summer than I do in the winter because I can't bear the heat. Luckily, I don't have to pay for my AC, so I can keep it cool on hot days.
Hopefully things will cool down for you soon! 
That's me, too!
Exotic air conditioners? Talk to the French. Even down in the Midi, they rely on the thick old stone walls to keep them cool in summer.
I've got ALL three of my fans working non-stop, one in the ceiling, a big rotating one on a stand, and a smaller one on the counter in the kitchen.
Have stripped down to a damp T-shirt.
Shutters and windows closed to the blast of heat from the street and courtyard.
KEEP COOL ! ! !