Last week, Paris experienced its worst period of catastrophic heat on record, surpassing the 2019 heatwave and the deadly 2003 event that killed nearly 15,000 people. Megan Clement, seven months pregnant and living in Seine-Saint-Denis—the poorest department in mainland France and one of the most exposed to extreme heat—documented her week-long struggle to survive the soaring temperatures.
Tuesday: Anxiety and Cancelled Plans
When Clement discovered she was pregnant, her greatest anxiety was giving birth in summer, as many French hospitals lack air conditioning and are not designed for heatwaves. An information session on the extreme heat plan was cancelled due to the heat. A friend, a few weeks further along, checked into an air-conditioned hotel after heat in her apartment triggered contractions; the hotel was full of other pregnant women, though most could not afford this option. Clement rented a portable air conditioner, hoping it would get her through to the weekend when the heat was expected to break.
Wednesday: Heatstroke and Temporary Relief
At 9:30am, the temperature was already 30C (86F). At a public healthcare office, a woman collapsed with apparent heatstroke. A friend offered Clement a desk in an air-conditioned office. At a childcare center, staff taped reflective blankets over windows and sprayed toddlers with a hose. The air conditioner was delayed until midnight, and Clement was too exhausted to set it up properly.
Thursday: Air Conditioning Frustrations
The air conditioner initially failed because Clement cracked the window for the extraction pipe, letting in heat. Her partner later installed the window kit, and the temperature dropped. On social media, a new father shared a video from a maternity unit where the temperature was 36C inside and a healthcare worker collapsed from heatstroke. There were 25 heart attacks in 24 hours across Paris.
Friday: 38C and Media Representation
Clement spent the morning indoors with shutters down. At 38C (100F), the park across the road had people sitting listlessly in shade. She criticized media coverage that showed young people backflipping into canals, arguing it should instead show the homeless pregnant woman living on the streets, children sent home from unsafe schools, and overwhelmed hospitals. Emergency services reported 109 deaths in 24 hours in Paris, compared to the usual seven. A bus driver died from heat and crashed into a tree.
Saturday: Body Gives Up and Fury
Clement woke with aching body and cramping legs. Her local park had no air-conditioned refreshment rooms, unlike central Paris. She took shelter at a cinema. By week's end, health authorities announced 1,000 deaths in France over three days, four toddlers died in hot cars, and drowning deaths reached 74. Clement expressed fury at fossil fuel company TotalEnergies, which posted €5.8bn profit in Q1 2026, and the AI lobby pushing the EU to abandon climate ambitions. She felt abandoned by those in power, noting that even pregnant, she was one of the lucky ones. French President Emmanuel Macron said, "We cannot adapt to a heatwave that has no equivalent in Europe today and has never had an equivalent in our history," as forecasters predicted another extreme heat wave for the following week.
