France swelters under severe heatwave: 67 departments on orange alert, temperatures hit 42°C
Météo-France has placed 67 departments under orange heatwave alert as a 'severe and lasting' episode pushes temperatures to 42°C, with wildfires forcing thousands to evacuate.
Heatwave spreads across France
A new heatwave, described by Météo-France as "severe and lasting", has engulfed nearly the entire country. On Wednesday 8 July, 67 departments are under orange alert, the second-highest warning level, up from 16 on Monday. The national meteorological service warns that the heat will likely persist until the end of the week or beyond. "The heat is gaining ground towards the North and East," Météo-France stated, with additional departments in Grand-Est and Franche-Comté expected to be placed on alert.
- 16 departments placed on orange alert; temperatures reach 41°C in some areas.
- Météo-France extends orange alert to 67 departments for Wednesday.
- Peak temperatures forecast: Paris 37°C, Lyon 39°C, Perpignan 42°C. Wildfires ongoing.
- Thursday expected to be one of the hottest days; heatwave continues.
- Heatwave likely to persist into the weekend or beyond, per Météo-France.
Record-challenging temperatures
Maximum temperatures on Wednesday are forecast to reach 35 to 39°C across most regions, with peaks of 38 to 41°C near the Mediterranean and up to 42°C along the Languedoc-Roussillon coast. Specific city forecasts include 37°C in Paris, 38°C in Nantes and Limoges, 39°C in Lyon, 41°C in Montpellier, and 42°C in Perpignan. The national thermal indicator, an average of temperatures from 30 reference stations, exceeded the 23.4°C heatwave threshold for three consecutive days: 23.6°C on Saturday, 24.5°C on Sunday, and 25.8°C on Monday.
- 2026-07-04
- 23.6 °C
- 2026-07-05
- 24.5 °C
- 2026-07-06
- 25.8 °C
Wildfires and disruptions
The combination of extreme heat and drought has sparked multiple wildfires. A blaze in Pyrénées-Orientales has burned nearly 5,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of 12,000 people, while another fire in Drôme has spread to 1,400 hectares. Near Marcoussis in Essonne, a fire disrupted high-speed train services between Paris and the west and southwest. Several communes in Brittany, Deux-Sèvres, Vienne, and Creuse have cancelled 14 July fireworks displays due to the fire risk.
Groundwater and drought concerns
More than half of France's groundwater tables are below normal levels after the hottest June on record, according to Le Figaro. The winter recharge had kept many reserves satisfactory, but the June heatwave depleted them. Prefectures in multiple departments have imposed water-use restrictions on households and businesses, including agricultural irrigation in crisis areas such as Limousin.
Climate context
An expert at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) estimated that the developing El Niño phenomenon is likely to break intensity records in the coming months, increasing the probability of extreme weather events globally.
The El Niño phenomenon, currently forming, should break records in terms of intensity in the coming months.
Combined with human-caused climate change, the previous El Niño contributed to making 2023 the second-hottest year on record and 2024 the hottest ever.
