France braced for heatwave with 19 departments placed on high alert

People cool down in the fountains of the Trocadero gardens in Paris in July 2019, when a new all-time high temperature of 42.6°C hit the French capital. AP - Rafael Yaghobzadeh

France is set to experience another summer heatwave over the coming days – forecast to be the hottest of the season – with Météo-France on Friday placing 19 departments on orange alert.

According to Météo-France, "This weekend, hot weather is set to intensify, particularly in the southern half of the country. It looks set to be long-lasting and intense, with values sometimes in excess of 40°C in the southeast from Sunday onwards ... [and] are expected to continue until at least the middle of next week."

Forecasters also added that on a comparable scale for France, this latest weather event looks set to be the hottest of the summer, and also of the "highest of intensity."

This Friday, a total of 19 départements have been placed under orange heatwave alert – on a vast diagonal line stretching from the South West to Alsace – and extending far east to the Alps.

A further 21 departments are under yellow heatwave alert.

⚠️🌡️ Fortes #chaleurs
En cette fin de semaine, températures mini et maxi montent d'un cran (seules côtes de Manche et Bretagne conserveront des T°C max. < à 30°C).

Voici les températures max. attendues jusqu'à dimanche ⤵️

🟠#vigilanceorange #canicule
👉https://t.co/w5OGXbEEhP https://t.co/JUhbf3gCaU pic.twitter.com/tsZwE2UToW

— Météo-France (@meteofrance) August 17, 2023

'Heat dome' weather event

According to climatologists, a vast static anticyclone will create a so-called "heat dome", trapping warm air under a blanket and heating it up by compression over the coming days.

The heat's intensity is expected to peak by early next week – most likely Tuesday or Wednesday.

"There's still a lot of uncertainty about the middle of the week," explained Christelle Robert, forecaster at Météo-France, during a Thursday afternoon briefing.

Starting by the middle of next week, "a possible storm disturbance could bring temperatures down."

Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne convened an interministerial crisis unit on Thursday, at the end of which the government decided to activate the national information platform – Canicule info service – this Friday.

Prevention measures will also be broadcast on national television and radio.