France on highest heat alert as temperatures threaten to break all records

A country placed on crisis footing

France activated its interministerial crisis cell on Saturday, bringing together more than ten ministers to coordinate the response to a heatwave that has already placed 80 of the country's 100 departments on alert. By Sunday, 41 million people were within orange-warning zones, and some departments were expected to move to the maximum red level overnight. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened the emergency meeting after Météo France warned that the coming days could rank among the hottest ever recorded in the country. The agency's director, Sophie Voirin, described the situation in blunt terms.

At the start of next week we could have the hottest days ever recorded in the country, regardless of the month.

Temperatures nearing 44 °C

The heatwave is settling in with a dome of high pressure over central Europe. On Friday the northern Swiss town of Schaffhausen reached 35.7 °C, its highest June reading on record. In France, the peak is forecast for Sunday and Monday: Bordeaux is expected to hit 43 °C, Limoges and Rennes 41 °C each, and Paris 39 °C. The capital's perceived temperature on Sunday afternoon could reach 44 °C, hotter than Mecca or Manila and eight degrees above the forecast for Dakar.

The ghost of August 2003

Météo France's Matthieu Sorel said the duration and severity of the current episode are comparable to the August 2003 canicule that killed roughly 15,000 people in France. That event, which lasted two weeks, exposed serious gaps in national preparedness and still haunts public health planning. Officials are urging special attention to the elderly and vulnerable, with President Macron calling on citizens to look after those most at risk.

Take care of the elderly, of the most vulnerable. These are difficult days.

Fête de la Musique under scrutiny

The heatwave coincides with the traditional Fête de la Musique on Sunday, an event that draws millions onto the streets for open-air concerts and drinking. Some cities have cancelled their festivities, but the government has stopped short of a nationwide ban. Culture Minister Catherine Pégard called for extreme caution and said local authorities could cancel concerts at the last moment. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist warned that alcohol combined with high temperatures accelerates dehydration and sends people to emergency rooms much faster.

In the working-class banlieue of Nanterre, residents described suffocating conditions. Léria, a 32-year-old housewife, put it simply.

We are suffocating.

A continent on edge

The heat stretches far beyond France. Germany faces widespread heat alerts and a risk of severe storms. Italian cities like Rome and Bologna are seeing tourists seek shade and underground spaces, with queues forming at the Colosseum and people cooling off in the Neptune fountain. The World Health Organization says that more than 200,000 people in Europe have died from heatwave-related causes in the past four years, and scientists point to climate change as the driver of increasingly frequent and intense episodes. In France, two-thirds of the 52 heatwaves recorded since 1947 have occurred since the start of this century.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire ordered parks kept open 24 hours, extended pool hours until 20:00, and authorised late swimming in the Saint-Martin canal. The city is also distributing 1,200 portable air-conditioning units to schools. More than 70 trains have been suspended, over a hundred schools closed their doors on Friday, and final baccalaureate exams have been postponed.