Almost the whole of France has been placed on a red heatwave alert for Thursday, with weather forecasters already warning about another period of extreme heat in July.
French weather agency Météo France has extended its extreme heat warnings for the third day in row – leaving almost the entire country under a red alert for Thursday.
In total 72 of the country’s 96 mainland départements are under a red weather warning – the highest alert level, indicating a danger to life.
Météo France weather map for ThursdayTen départements have also been placed on orange alert for thunderstorms. The départements of Côtes-d’Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Manche, which are already under red heatwave warnings, will be upgraded to orange thunderstorm alert from 4 pm on Thursday.
Starting 6 pm, seven additional départements – Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne, Hautes-Pyrénées, and Gers – will also be placed on orange alert for thunderstorms.
A gradual easing of the heat is expected on Thursday evening along the Atlantic coast and in parts of southeastern France. According to Météo-France, the red heatwave alert will be lifted in 11 départements from 10 pm on Thursday: Finistère, Côtes-d’Armor, Manche, Morbihan, Loire-Atlantique, Vendée, Charente-Maritime, Gironde, Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and Hautes-Pyrénées.
Meanwhile, in southeastern France, the départements of Bouches-du-Rhône, Vaucluse, and Var will see their heatwave warning downgraded from orange to yellow alert level.
Météo France weather map for FridaySchool closures are also continuing. The Minister of Education, Edouard Geffray, said that “13,500 schools are closed or have adjusted their timetables today” on Thursday due to the heatwave.
Geffray, speaking on France 2, said there will be “3,500 schools expected to be closed today, and around 10,000 that will have adjusted timetables, for example by finishing classes at midday, or which are using air-conditioned premises other than their own”. The day before, 6,000 schools were already affected.
On Wednesday, France saw its first heat-related blackout with 68,000 homes near Quimper, Brittany, without power.
The grid operator – which had warned at the beginning of the week of heat-related blackouts – announced Wednesday evening that power had been restored.
And in the Bordeaux region, ten thousand households were also without electricity on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, in south-west France, production had to be halted at one of the country’s nuclear power plants due to exceptionally high temperatures in the Garonne river.
READ ALSO: Why France shuts down its nuclear reactors during heatwaves
Although the heat will gradually start to abate starting Thursday evening with cooler temperatures moving in from the west over the weekend, it is expected that the temperatures will fall only gradually until the start of the following week.
However any respite could be brief as high temperatures are predicted to hit the country again from July 6th.
The deadly heatwave has battered France for more than a week, disrupting daily life and forcing school closures and train cancellations, with prime minister Sébastien Lecornu convening ministers for a new crisis meeting on Tuesday to address the situation.
The country also recorded its hottest night from Monday to Tuesday since measurements began in 1947, the Météo-France weather agency said.
READ ALSO: MAPS: Where in France have records been broken during the historic heatwave?
The national temperature indicator – an average of readings from 30 stations across France – indicated that the temperature did not fall below 21.6C, even in the middle of the night, according to preliminary figures taken on Tuesday morning.
The previous record was 21.4C, set on July 25th, 2019.
In many areas it was much hotter, with the temperature never falling below 27C – a night where the temperature never falls below 20C is known as a ‘tropical night’ and is linked with increased heat stress as well as poor sleep.
Lecornu also confirmed that 40 people have died by drowning during the heatwave, saying: “The latest figure reported to us is 40 deaths since June 18th, mainly among young people.
“They are the first victims of the crisis we are facing.”
On Wednesday, three deaths were recorded in the Pas-de-Calais départements, northern France. They are all believed to be linked to the heatwave. The victims included an elderly man who had been carrying out outdoor work and two other individuals who were at home and had pre-existing medical conditions.
On Monday two children – aged two and four – were found dead in a parked car in the south of France, where the temperature was 39C.
Numerous trains, including Eurostar services, have been cancelled due to the heat. Most of the services cancelled are Intercité trains or the local Transilien or RER services within the Paris region.
READ ALSO: Why the extreme heat is wreaking havoc on Europe’s trains✎
Operators of the Eiffel Tower have announced early closing times due to the heat.
“Due to the high temperatures forecast, the Eiffel Tower will be adjusting its operations,” said the operator of the monument. “The Eiffel Tower will close at 4pm.”
The Louvre museum has also announced that it will shorten its opening hours between Wednesday and Saturday, due to the heat. Visitors can receive a refund on tickets.
Meanwhile, the French grid operator Enedis has warned of possible heat-related blackouts by the end of the week.
Many cities have opened up their swimming pools for free during the heatwave, while in Paris the mayor allowed swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin.
