France braces for another summer heatwave

As firefighters battle a massive wildfire in south-west France, France’s national weather service, Météo France, has issued an ‘orange’ level heatwave warning for five départements in southern France, starting on Friday.

Map by Météo France showing heatwave alerts across France on Friday

The following départements were listed on the alert: Rhône (which includes Lyon), Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn, Haute-Garonne and Hautes-Pyrénées.

Météo France forecast that “temperatures are expected to rise with lows between 20C and 22C in central and eastern Occitanie, as well as locally in the Rhône Valley. 

“By the afternoon, temperatures in the south-west could reach 35C to 39C, and locally up to 40C, while in the centre-east (where Lyon is located) temperatures could hit 35C to 37C.”

Castres and Albi could reach 39C by Friday afternoon, while Montauban and Toulouse were forecast to see the mercury rise to 38C.

As such, the weather service has warned that people should exercise caution, particularly vulnerable populations.

The heatwave is also expected to intensify over the next few days and continue into the beginning of next week.

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As for the rest of France, forecasters predicted sunny skies across much of the rest of the country, except for the Channel coast, which may see cloudy, cooler weather.

What does the orange alert mean?

The orange alert is the second-highest level of weather warning in France.

An orange heatwave (canicule) alert refers to a period of intense heat lasting three consecutive days and nights, likely to pose a health risk, particularly for vulnerable or excessively exposed populations.

READ MORE: Explained: What does a red weather warning mean in France?

Certain protocols will be triggered during orange alerts to ensure vulnerable people are more closely monitored and kept safe. For example, in a cold snap, cities might open up extra homeless shelters, while during a heatwave, there will be services available to the elderly and ill.