Météo-France places 13 French departments on heatwave alert and 8 on storm alert for Sunday
Thirteen French departments face orange heatwave vigilance on Sunday with temperatures up to 38°C, while eight south-western departments brace for violent storms packing gusts to 110 km/h.
Heatwave alerts across 13 departments
Météo-France will place 13 departments in central-east and south-east France on orange heatwave alert for Sunday, 9 August, up from 12 on Saturday. The Ain will join the alert list from noon, alongside Alpes-Maritimes, Ardèche, Drôme, Gard, Haute-Savoie, Isère, Rhône, Savoie, Var, Vaucluse, and both Corsican departments (Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse). An additional 43 departments will remain on yellow vigilance. Maximum temperatures on Sunday will generally range between 34 and 37°C, rising across the north-eastern quarter of the country and easing slightly across the southern half, with peaks of 38°C expected in the Rhône valley and the south-west. Saturday already saw temperatures approach 40°C in several southern localities, marking what Météo-France called a heat peak. By 15:00 on Saturday, 37.4°C was recorded at Nîmes and Orange, 35.7°C at Aubenas in the Ardèche, and 35.9°C at Le Luc in the Var.
- Saturday: 40°C approached in southern localities; 12 departments on orange heatwave alert
- Ain joins orange heatwave alert, bringing total to 13 departments
- Eight south-west departments placed on orange storm alert
- Monday: slight temperature reprieve expected, except in south-east
- Tuesday: new heatwave episode begins across many French regions
- Thursday: storms expected, could lower temperatures in West and North
Violent storms expected in the south-west
From 17:00 on Sunday, eight south-western departments will move to orange storm alert: Haute-Garonne, Gers, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Tarn, and Tarn-et-Garonne. BFMTV reported seven departments but listed eight names in its text. The first storms of the episode had already affected the south-west on Saturday evening, and moderate storms were approaching the Aquitaine coast on Sunday morning before spreading into the former Midi-Pyrénées region by early evening. Météo-France's 06:00 bulletin warns that the storms will sometimes be accompanied by hail and violent wind gusts reaching 90 to 110 km/h.
These storms will sometimes be accompanied by hail and violent wind gusts that can reach 90 to 110 km/h.
The storms could produce hail of medium to large size, intense precipitation, and strong electrical activity.
Fire resumes in the Drôme
A fire near Bellegarde-en-Diois in the Drôme's massif du Claps, which had been stabilized on Saturday morning, resumed due to heat and made slight progress. The prefecture had announced Saturday morning that the general situation was broadly under control and the fire was stabilized across the entire perimeter, while noting two flare-ups requiring intervention. By Saturday afternoon, active flare-ups were reported on the right and left rear flanks and the right front flank of the fire. The burned area reached 320 hectares, up from 311 on Saturday morning. Some 408 personnel and three helicopters are engaged.
- Nîmes
- 37.4 °C
- Orange
- 37.4 °C
- Le Luc (Var)
- 35.9 °C
- Aubenas (Ardèche)
- 35.7 °C
Under the effect of the heat, the fire experienced this afternoon (Saturday) several active flare-ups on different sectors of the site.
The prefecture stated that flare-ups are currently being treated by air and ground resources. The Drôme remains on orange heatwave alert throughout the weekend.
Outlook for the coming week
Météo-France expects a slight reprieve on Monday across France, except in the south-east where temperatures will remain stationary. The heat will then intensify again, producing a new heatwave episode across many French regions. La Chaîne Météo predicts a heat peak on Tuesday and Wednesday in central regions, the east, and the Rhône valley, with temperatures between 35 and 37°C and local peaks at 40°C. Storms expected on Thursday could bring temperatures down in the West and North, though the South will see no relief.
