France braces for 40°C heatwave as 50 departments go on yellow alert, exams and rail networks disrupted

The heat builds

A mass of hot air settled over France on Wednesday, pushing daytime highs to 30–35°C across most regions and triggering a yellow heat alert in 50 departments. Météo-France described the episode as "fortes chaleurs" affecting a large part of the country, with the South-West, Centre-West and Centre-East already seeing 36–37°C readings. The forecaster expects the alert to escalate to orange from Thursday midday for a corridor stretching from the Paris basin to the centre of the country.

The event is the 52nd heatwave recorded in France since nationwide monitoring began in 1947, and the first of 2026. Météo-France noted that late May had brought record-breaking temperatures for the month, but that episode fell short of the technical criteria for a heatwave.

Sunday peak and summer solstice

Sunday, which marks both the Fête de la Musique and the summer solstice, is the day forecasters are watching most closely. Météo-France told a press conference on Tuesday that several regions could see "des pointes à 40°C," a threshold that would make this one of the earliest 40°C readings in French records. The heat is expected to persist through the weekend before easing early next week.

Un passage en vigilance orange est probable à partir de jeudi midi sur les régions allant du bassin parisien au centre du pays.

Exams disrupted

France's baccalauréat calendar has collided directly with the heatwave. Specialty written exams are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and education minister Edouard Geffray announced on Tuesday that oral exams could be postponed locally by "quelques heures ou de quelques jours." He had already stated on Sunday that he wanted no afternoon exams to take place during the heatwave.

Les oraux du bac pourraient être reportés localement, de quelques heures ou de quelques jours.

School logistics are under strain as buildings without air conditioning face the challenge of keeping exam halls below dangerous temperatures. The SNCF and EDF are also adapting their networks, with rail operators monitoring track buckling risk and the grid operator managing elevated electricity demand from cooling.

Adaptation plan under review

Ecological transition minister Monique Barbut is due to present a "premier bilan" of the Plan National d'Adaptation au Changement Climatique (PNACC) on Wednesday. The plan is designed to prepare France for a warming trajectory of up to +4°C by 2100. The timing, during the first major heatwave of the year, gives the assessment immediate political weight.

The current episode is being framed by officials as a preview of the summers France must adapt to. Météo-France has linked the increasing frequency, earliness and intensity of heatwaves to climate change driven by massive fossil-fuel use.