40.6C (in shade): French heatwave warnings expand to north

Forty-five departments across France will face heightened heatwave alerts today (July 30), as both daytime and overnight temperatures remain high. 

The Indre, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire and Jura departments will see warnings increase at midday, joining 41 departments already facing this level of alert. 

Elsewhere, tier-two yellow warnings (less intense than their orange counterparts) are in place as far north as Paris and the Loire-Atlantique department (Nantes). 

Temperatures broke the 40C barrier yesterday in several places including Moules-et-Baucels, Hérault (40.6C) and Les Vans, Ardèche (40.1C). These official figures relate to ones taken in the shade.

In major cities in the south-west, highs of 38.7C (Bordeaux) and 38.1C (Toulouse) were recorded. 

Temperatures are unlikely to reach above 40C today, but the national temperature may still be warmer overall compared to yesterday, with more areas seeing significantly high temperatures. 

Most of the country will see thermometers reach 36C, including in Paris, leaving Olympic athletes to compete in the high heat. 

The Ile-de-France region, where Paris is located, has activated its heatwave plan with measures in place including handing out bottles of water and hats to Olympic spectators. 

Forecasts from earlier in the week – that temperatures will remain high until Thursday morning (August 1) then begin to drop – remain, and it is likely most heatwave warnings will be lifted on this day.

Read more: Weather in France July 29 – August 2: Forecast by area this week

Departments in the north and centre of France are also facing storm alerts today. 

In Paris and nearby departments, these are also at a heightened tier-three orange level.

You can find a list of all weather alerts on the official Météo France website.

Tiredness, loss of appetite, irritability 

The presence of a heatwave – even if relatively short in duration – can affect our bodies in a number of ways. 

One of the most noticeable is the sense of fatigue we feel. This is not only caused by the increased energy required to regulate our body temperature against abnormal temperatures, but from a loss of nutrients. 

These include the loss of water and salt that our bodies need to replace. 

“When you sweat, the loss of these two elements causes a drop in blood pressure. So you have to compensate by adding a little salt to your bottle of water,” said Dr Rémi Mifsud, a doctor from Paris, to Le Figaro.

“Be careful to drink small quantities, so as not to dilute the water in the bloodstream, which would cause you to feel unwell,” he added. 

This also means our bodies are less inclined to perform certain difficult tasks well, such as sport, with reflexes slower than normal and muscular capacity reduced.

Read more: French rules: can I work from home – or not at all – during heatwave?

Even if your body is expending more energy to regulate body temperature, it is unlikely you will feel hungrier than usual, as your body is expending less calories than it does in colder temperatures. 

The use of energy to cool yourself down also means the body is less focused on wanting to eat, unlike in winter, when calories are being burned quicker, making hunger more prominent.

A sense of irritability may also come over us during the heat, mostly because of the discomfort caused due to sweat and because we are not used to such heat. 

However, the sun is also known to be a powerful antidepressant.

Read more: How to keep your house cool in the high heat of the French summer

Read more: France heatwave tips: How to sleep, keep cool and stay healthy