[Update July 20 at 14:35 - The orange storm alert has now been extended to Ain as well.]
There are 21 departments in the east of France on orange heatwave or storm alert, a situation that could last for several more days, Météo-France states.
The scorching weather has arrived from the west of the country, where there were record-breaking temperatures in 63 places and massive wildfires.
“On Wednesday, the high temperatures will only affect the south-eastern quarter of the country as well as Alsace, with night-time temperatures still very high.
“This situation is likely to continue for several more days in these regions.
“Regarding storms, they will initially only hit a small area but will then spread to all departments under orange alert. These storms could be violent accompanied by hail and strong electrical activity.”
Météo-France’s temperature forecast for Wednesday, July 20. Credit: Météo-France
Elsewhere, the parks and public gardens in Lille (Nord) are to reopen this morning after being closed last night due to storms.
⛈ Face au risque d’#orages dans la soirée de mardi, les parcs et jardins de #Lille, normalement ouverts en nocturne en continu dès le seuil 2 d’alerte #canicule jaune, seront exceptionnellement fermés ce soir et cette nuit, et rouvriront ce mercredi matin à l’horaire habituel. pic.twitter.com/q99HFzErTz
