Part-time Minnesota resident sweats through heat wave in Europe

(FOX 9) - We are battling some high temps in Minnesota this weekend, but in Europe, it’s even worse. The temperature, not heat index, is well over 100 degrees and most homes and businesses do not have air conditioning.

FOX 9 producer Romy Ackerburg’s mother lives in a village in southern France. We spoke to her Saturday about how she and her neighbors are doing.

"It’s been really hot and uncomfortable, but also a little bit scary too with all the humidity," said Lesley Ackerberg, who lives in La Rochebeaucourt. "It’s just a little bit harder to breathe today."

Some residents and tourists are trying to cool off in fountains and pools but the water is so warm now. It doesn’t provide much relief.

"The incredible heat," said Lesley. "And even floating in a pool, we were still thirsty and hot all the time."

When you consider the temps are hotter now than it was in 2003 when 15,000 people died in France and 70,000 throughout Europe, it’s easy to understand why so many people are worried.

"And it’s really exhausting when you’re in that kind of temperature because you have no energy at all," she says. "It just makes you really, really tired in that kind of heat when it’s humid."

And staying indoors isn’t necessarily better; sleeping is almost impossible.

"Lying in bed, with fans on, windows open, just trying to get the air circulated," Lesley tells us. "It’s very difficult to sleep and just to try to relax. It’s been a really long three days for a lot of people."