Météo-France widened its orange heatwave alert on Friday to 53 of France’s 96 mainland departments, putting more than 36 million people under warning as Paris was forecast to climb to 40C early next week. The expansion came from midday, as the heat tightened its grip on much of the country.
Emmanuel Macron urged “extreme vigilance from everyone” and told the public to “take care of our oldest and most vulnerable people” as the government warned that the spell was not easing. For people searching for Paris weather today, the key point is not just that the capital is hot, but that the forecast points to a level of heat more usually associated with the peak of summer than with the end of June.
That makes the alert especially sharp. France is already in its second extreme temperature event of the year after an unusually hot spell in May, and Météo-France described the latest one as widespread, prolonged and intense. On Friday, temperatures were likely to average 36C in the north-west and 38C in the centre and south, with Paris among the places expected to bear the worst of it early next week.
The heat has already begun to strain daily life. A 30-year-old man died after going into cardiac arrest on an athletics track near Paris on Thursday, when the temperature in the capital reached 37C. SNCF cancelled 71 intercity trains, schools rescheduled exams, and EDF said four nuclear plants were likely to curb output next week because cooling water in the Rhône and Garonne rivers was too warm.
There is also a timing problem that matters. Astronomical summer does not begin until Sunday, yet much of France is already under a prolonged alert, and several municipalities have cancelled Sunday’s Fête de la Musique festivities. The forecast suggests Paris will hit 40C early next week, but how long the city stays there is still unknown. What is clear is that France is entering the season’s peak from a standing start.
