PARIS: France has placed nearly half of its mainland territory under the highest heat warning on Monday as a severe heatwave tightens its grip on the country, with temperatures expected to climb further and approach record levels.
The French government said 49 of the country’s 96 mainland departments would be placed under red alert on Monday, while another 40 departments would remain under orange alert.
The announcement followed the issuance of red heatwave warnings for 35 departments on Sunday.
National weather agency Meteo-France warned that temperatures could locally reach 41 degrees Celsius on Sunday and rise further on Monday.
It said the national average temperature could match the highest daily level ever recorded in France, regardless of season.
“Very high temperatures are settling in for the long term across the country,” Meteo-France said, warning that the heatwave was likely to persist through much of next week, with exceptionally high daytime and nighttime temperatures expected until at least Thursday.
The prolonged heatwave has disrupted daily life across France, forcing hundreds of schools to adjust timetables and prompting transport operators to activate emergency measures.
French railway operator SNCF said it had mobilised resources to maintain services despite extreme temperatures.
SNCF Chief Executive Jean Castex said the company was “fully mobilised” to keep rail traffic operating as normally as possible.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot told BFMTV that France’s ageing railway network faced growing pressure from increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
He said authorities had taken precautionary measures but warned that the intensity and early arrival of the heatwave posed significant challenges.
Meteo-France also raised concerns over wildfire risks, placing four departments under high forest fire danger on Sunday and warning that the number would increase to 11 on Monday as hot and dry conditions persisted.
The extreme weather coincided with France’s annual Fête de la Musique celebrations, during which musicians perform in public spaces across the country.
Authorities imposed special measures in areas under red alert. The government announced a ban on public alcohol consumption in affected departments, while Paris police deployed additional patrols along the Seine and restricted undeclared gatherings in certain riverside areas.
“The combination of alcohol, heat and proximity to water – those are three risk factors that don’t mix well,” Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said, according to AFP.
Police said 4,800 officers and gendarmes, supported by 2,500 firefighters, were mobilised in Paris and surrounding areas for the event.
The heatwave has also been linked to a series of drowning incidents across France.
Emergency services said a 17-year-old boy died after being swept away by a current in the Dordogne River in southwestern France on Saturday evening.
Separately, a 16-year-old boy drowned on a beach in Dunkirk, while two other teenagers died in eastern France on Friday after drowning in the Doubs River.
France is among several Western European countries affected by the current heatwave. Authorities across the region have issued warnings as temperatures continue to rise.
According to AFP, Britain, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Italy have all raised alert levels in response to the extreme conditions.
Meteorologists said England and Wales experienced their hottest spring on record, while Spain’s civil protection agency warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat affecting most of the country and the Balearic Islands through much of next week.
In Switzerland, the northern town of Schaffhausen recorded its highest-ever June temperature of 35.7 degrees Celsius on Friday, with forecasters warning that additional records could be broken in the coming days.
