Europe's Heat Dome Returns — France Bans Public Drinking as Temperatures Soar Again

Europe is cooking — again. Just two months after the continent's first heat dome of the year, a second one has parked itself over Western Europe and it's shaping up to be worse.

Here's what a heat dome actually is: think of it as a giant lid on a pot. Heat domes are persistent high-pressure systems which act like a lid on a pot, trapping hot air and pushing it downward. The result? Heat that just builds and builds with nowhere to go.

Europe is sweltering under its second heat dome in two months, with temperatures spiking above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, bringing dangerous conditions across swaths of the planet's fastest-warming continent. And Monday looked like it could get even worse — temperatures were set to rise to more than 107 degrees Fahrenheit in some places.

Heat alerts were posted Monday by 26 countries, from Ireland to Greece, as soaring temperatures delivered one of Western Europe's worst June heat waves on record. That's basically the whole continent on alert at once.

France takes drastic action

The French government didn't mess around. The heat was so intense Sunday, the government banned public alcohol drinking at Fête de la Musique — an annual music festival which takes place across the country and brings millions onto the streets. The ban applied to regions under red heat wave alerts. The reasoning wasn't puritanical — the government ordered organizers to limit alcohol consumption to "preserve emergency services and allow medics to concentrate on taking care of the most vulnerable."

That wasn't all. The government ordered the closure of more than 800 schools. Trains were canceled, outdoor sports suspended, and multiple drownings were reported as people sought relief in whatever water they could find.

About a third of France is under a "red alert" for heat, in a country where air conditioning isn't widespread. That last part is key — this isn't just uncomfortable, it's dangerous.

Why this one is especially alarming

"This heatwave will be quite comparable in severity to the one in August 2003. It is expected to surpass it in terms of maximum intensity," Météo France said Monday, referring to a deadly 16-day heat wave that killed nearly 15,000 people. Let that sink in — France's own weather agency is saying this could be worse than the deadliest heat wave in modern European history.

More than 200,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes over the last four years, and most of the fatalities were preventable, the World Health Organization's Europe office said.

The rest of Europe isn't faring better

France banned public alcohol consumption, Spain closed a World Cup fan zone, and the UK is bracing for an annihilation of its all-time June temperature record. In the UK specifically, temperatures are forecast to reach at least 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday, according to the country's Met Office, which would smash the UK's all-time heat record for June of 96.08 degrees Fahrenheit, last recorded in 1976.

Spain had it rough too — on the Almería coast in southeastern Spain, nighttime temperatures didn't drop below 86 degrees Fahrenheit. When nights don't cool down, your body gets no break to recover.

Why does this keep happening?

The heat waves also come as a strengthening El Niño takes shape in the tropical Pacific — a natural climate pattern known to increase the frequency and severity of heat extremes worldwide. But that's not the whole story. Scientists say these kinds of heat waves are becoming more severe and more frequent as humans continue to burn fossil fuels and heat the planet.

If you're planning a trip to Europe this summer, this is a story worth paying close attention to. The relief, when it comes, isn't expected until at least late next week — and forecasters are already warning there may be more rounds of heat to come before summer is over.