Météo-France placed 24 départements in the north-western part of France, from Morbihan to the Paris region on red heatwave alert for Saturday. This is the maximum warning level. The forecaster said that a red alert for heat means that "all of us are threatened, even healthy people". (See map below)
The French forecaster also warned that the red heatwave alert could be extended to other départements over the weekend.
Sports Minister Marina Ferrari announced that 131 people have drowned in France since June 19th. Fifty-five percent of them drowned in “unsupervised and unauthorised swimming areas” while 20 percent in private swimming areas.
Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu chaired a crisis meeting on the morning of Friday July 10th to address the new heatwave affecting the country.
The French government also activated its new "Chaleurs extrêmes" (extreme heat) ORSEC emergency plan in the départements placed on red heatwave alert alert by Météo-France on Friday.
Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said the plan was introduced following lessons learned from previous heatwaves, which showed that the most vulnerable people, particularly elderly residents living alone in cities, face a much higher risk during periods of high temperatures.
As part of the plan, cooling centres and air-conditioned public spaces were opened in the affected départements to provide vulnerable residents with a place to escape the heat.
Bregeon also said that 6,000 air conditioning units had already been delivered and installed in hospitals.
The installations were part of a pledge by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to provide 30,000 air conditioning units to hospitals following the previous heatwave. Bregeon said the remaining units would be delivered gradually to hospitals across the country according to their needs.
A total of 59 départements were placed on orange alert for Saturday. This is Météo-France's second-highest weather warning level, signifying dangerous conditions that require the public to be "extremely vigilant".
On Saturday afternoon, maximum temperatures will range between 35C and 38C degrees in most regions, with highs of 39C degrees from Burgundy to the Pays-de-Loire. Only the Channel coast and the Hauts-de-France region will remain below 35C degrees.
Thunderstorms are expected to develop during Saturday afternoon and evening across southern Brittany, parts of the Centre region, the Alps, and the Pyrenees.
Most were forecast to remain moderate, but some were expected to become more intense between eastern Aquitaine and western Occitanie, extending into southern Auvergne and the southern Alps, with a risk of heavy hail and torrential rain.
How will this affect travel ahead of the long weekend?
Around 1.9 million passengers were expected to travel on 3,700 TGV (France's high-speed trains) services over the weekend.
Despite the extreme heat, no TGV cancellations were planned, according to Karine Dussert-Sarthe, director of SNCF's TGV-Intercités network.
Wildfires
Since the start of the year, France recorded over 8,000 wildfires in the country with an estimated area burnt of more than 25,000 hectares said Julien Marion, Director of Civil Protection and Crisis Management.
He described the start of the season as "exceptionally intense" and said this was "roughly double the figure recorded at the same time last year".
The forecaster placed 39 départements on orange alert for Saturday.
READ MORE: Where are all the wildfires and warnings in France right now?
According to Météo-France, an orange level warning means "hot, dry, or windy conditions make it easier for fires to ignite and spread quickly. People should avoid activities that could start a fire."
The forecaster says a red alert level wildfire warning indicates that "weather conditions mean there is a very high risk of wildfires starting and spreading compared to summer norms".
READ ALSO: What you should do if there are wildfire warnings in your part of France
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