Canicule: la France suffoque, Paris et une vingtaine de départements voient rouge
A weekend in the furnace: 24 departments, including those in the Paris region, will be on red alert on Saturday due to the heatwave, the third in two months, which is fueling fires in the southern half of the country.
This red alert extends until Sunday, Météo-France indicated in its 06:00 bulletin.
According to Météo-France, 59 other departments are now under orange alert, and only the departments in the South-East and - for thunderstorms - Corsica remain under yellow alert, spared by the heatwave temperatures.
A total of 22.2 million inhabitants - three times more than on Friday - will be affected by the highest level of alert defined by the meteorological institute, according to an AFP calculation based on annual data from INSEE which does not reflect the movements of holidaymakers.
This heat wave coincides precisely with the first major holiday weekend.
SNCF has indicated that it will provide a "normal" high-speed service during the July 14th holiday weekend, with 3,700 TGVs planned over the weekend, but intends to cancel one out of three Intercités trains during the hottest hours of the day while offering alternative bus solutions.
Temperatures of up to 36°C are expected on Saturday in Paris and Rennes, 38 in Bordeaux, 35 in Rouen or even 37 in Toulouse, and temperatures could reach up to 39 or even 40°C "locally", Météo-France indicated.
"A mass of very hot air is stagnating over the country for several days, generating a prolonged heat wave," the forecaster explained late Friday afternoon.
This heatwave episode will continue "at least until the middle of next week, although there is a likely start to a drop in temperatures in the west of the country at the beginning of the week," adds the Meteorological Institute.
Repeated heat waves are an unequivocal marker of climate change, mainly caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas, climate scientists have shown.
On Friday, the government activated an "Orsec extreme heat plan" in departments under red alert, with the opening of "protection centers" or "cooling centers" for "vulnerable people", the elderly, isolated or homeless.
In Paris, placed under red alert for "extreme heatwave" from noon, the Communist Party has decided to open its air-conditioned headquarters on Place du Colonel-Fabien on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00.
The government has faced widespread criticism regarding its "lack of preparedness" for the extreme heat. Excess mortality has already been recorded, particularly among people over 75.
- No firemen's balls -
The combination of intense heat and drought is also creating "an exceptional situation of forest fire danger across the entire country," notes Météo-France. More than 25,000 hectares have burned since the beginning of the year, nearly double what was projected for the same date in 2025, according to an estimate by the Civil Security service.
In recent days, France has faced multiple fires, notably in the Pyrénées-Orientales (4,900 hectares burned), the Drôme (4,000 ha) and the Indre (900 ha).
In Savoie, two villages are isolated by a forest fire. While the fire, which burned 60 hectares, is now "stabilized" according to the prefecture, several days of work are needed to secure the only road leading to it.
In the West, in Loire-Atlantique, a campsite and homes, representing 220 people, were evacuated on Friday in La Plaine-sur-Mer due to a vegetation fire that burned through 83 hectares before being brought under control in the evening.
Another consequence of the extreme heat is the significant increase in the number of drownings: 131 people have drowned since June 19, including young people under 18 and people over 60, according to authorities.
"The figures are not good, we have an increase of almost 20% compared to last year," said Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari on Friday.
Festive gatherings are also suffering from the heatwave.
In Paris, the police prefect has cancelled the very popular firemen's balls traditionally held in fire stations on July 13 and 14, as well as sporting events planned outdoors or in non-air-conditioned venues.
And across France, many cities have already cancelled the fireworks displays that were planned for the national holiday.
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