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France Places 54 Departments Under Red Heat Alert as Temperatures Stay Above 40 C
Meteo France issued a red alert covering most of the country Tuesday. Daytime highs above 40 degrees Celsius are forecast through the end of the week.
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Millions of residents across France woke to another night of extreme heat Tuesday, with daytime temperatures forecast to remain above 40 degrees Celsius in many areas. Meteo France placed 54 departments under its highest-level red heat-wave alert. The agency said sunshine would maintain oppressive conditions through at least the weekend.
Schools, rail services and sporting events have adjusted schedules because few buildings have air conditioning. Health authorities have recorded about 20 drowning deaths since the weekend.
Officials noted similarities to the August 2003 heat wave, which caused an estimated 15,000 deaths. France introduced its current warning system after that event. Meteo France stated that some readings could surpass all previous records for any time of year.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that Europe has warmed twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s. The World Health Organization’s Europe office said more than 200,000 heat-related deaths occurred across the continent in the last four years. The agency added that 2024 was the hottest year on record for both Europe and the world.
