"Welcome to the sauna": The laundry in the Rue de Meaux is operating normally, although the outside temperature had already cracked the 30 degree mark on Saturday morning.

Inside it's a whole lot hotter.

In an emergency, call the fire brigade to cool down, says the laundry owner and laughs.

Niklas Zaboji

Economic correspondent in Paris

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Not only in Paris, but also in other parts of France, many people don't feel like laughing these days.

The heat wave from the Sahara is sweeping the country and in many places monthly record temperatures of up to 40 degrees are expected.

The past few days have been unusually hot for mid-June.

"France is suffering from an intense heat wave that is occurring at an unprecedented rate," said the weather service Météo France, whose measurements began in 1947.

In the southwestern departments such as the Gironde around Bordeaux, he had already declared the red alert for heat waves on Thursday.

On Friday it got even hotter.

In Toulouse, a city of 500,000, the thermometer peaked at 39.6 degrees, in medieval Carcassonne 40.7 and in the small town of Durban-Corbières north of Perpignan 42.3 degrees.

Because of the "canicule", as the French call the heat, the children in the twelve departments with a red alert did not have to go to school on Friday.

Those who wish and are able to do so may look after their children at home, the Ministry of Education wrote to parents – adding that only physical activities “of low intensity” are permitted.

“A truly exceptional situation”

The fire brigade was put on alert, especially in rural areas.

Farmers fear for their harvest.

Because it has hardly rained in the past few weeks and the vegetation is dry, fires can spread particularly quickly.

In the Vendée department in western France, local media have repeatedly reported on field fires in recent days.

In the Aveyron department in southern France, a fire destroyed 25 hectares this week and a village of almost 30 inhabitants had to be evacuated.

Traffic is also affected by the heat.

Because the heat has pushed up ozone concentrations, authorities in the capital region of Île-de-France, in the Lyon region and in the Hauts-de-France region in the north-east of the country have imposed tightening speeds.

Instead of 130, you can only drive 110 kilometers per hour on the Autobahn.

Where previously the speed limit was 110, now the speed limit is 90.

Traffic restrictions also apply in Paris.

Since Saturday morning, only vehicles with an environmental badge in classes 0, 1 and 2 have been allowed to drive through the capital and suburbs, which excludes older and foreign vehicles - the German environmental badge is not recognized.

In order to lure drivers into the bus and train in the heat, there is a special day ticket in the Île-de-France this Saturday.

The so-called "forfait antipollution" costs 3.80 euros and also includes some airport connections.

Météo France does not even rule out absolute temperature records for Saturday afternoon.

"This is a really extraordinary situation," writes the weather service on its website.

Thunderstorms are expected for the evening, the night and tomorrow Sunday before the heat wave gradually recedes.