French heatwave: what temperatures are expected this weekend?
The heat is expected to abate slightly in northern areas today and tomorrow, but then return over the weekend and into early next week
The current heatwave affecting France is expected to continue until early next week
Vereshchagin Dmitry / Shutterstock
[Update July 14 at 16:30 - The orange alert has now been extended to Gard, Vaucluse, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Pyrénées-Orientales as well.]
France is currently experiencing a heatwave which is set to last into next week, with temperatures rising again over the weekend after a slight drop today (July 14) and tomorrow, especially in northern areas.
National forecasting service Météo France has predicted that the heatwave will have a duration of “eight to 10 days,” with a probable peak “between Saturday (July 16) and Tuesday (July 19)”.
In the north, the weekend will bring “a fairly intense, very intense peak in the heat, which will not last,” said Météo France meteorologist François Gourand. The south, meanwhile, will experience an “intense and lasting” heat.
On Saturday, the northern half of the country will see temperatures approaching 30C, with Rennes at 29C, Metz at 26C and Paris at 27C.
More southerly cities should expect highs in the mid-30s, with Montpellier at 36C, Toulouse at 35C and Bordeaux at 34C.
The heat will intensify on Sunday, when some areas in southwestern France could see temperatures of 40C.
“The area with the highest temperatures will stretch from the Pyrenees to the Pays de la Loire between Sunday and Monday, with nighttime temperatures which will not fall below 20-25C and daytime temperatures of 40C and above in several places, and 42C more locally,” Météo France has stated.
There are still seven departments – Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Tarn-et-Garonne, Haute-Garonne, Tarn, Ardèche and Drôme – under amber canicule alerts for high temperatures.
Read more: Much of south-west France on heightened heatwave alert
Gironde is also on an orange warning for wildfires, as two separate blazes continue to burn in the department, having already covered 3,700 hectares of land and caused the evacuation of thousands of residents and campers.
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