Heat in France Worsens: Red Alerts, Drownings, and 40°C+ Forecasts

By Sunday Desmond .

France is baking under its second major heatwave of 2026, with conditions set to worsen this week as temperatures push toward historic highs and authorities scramble to prevent more deaths.

Deaths and Red Alerts as Heat Intensifies

Three elderly people aged 80 to 95 died over the weekend in the Bordeaux region from heat-related health issues. At least 13 people have drowned across France since Sunday while trying to escape the heat in unsupervised waters. Drowning deaths spiked 58% last year during similar conditions.

Météo-France placed 49 of France’s 96 departments under a red heatwave warning Monday — the maximum alert level. That jumps to half the country under red alert Tuesday. Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire ordered city parks to stay open 24 hours a day.

Météo-France warns this heatwave will be “widespread, prolonged, and intense,” with peaks of 40°C to 42°C expected Monday and Tuesday. Paris could hit 39°C Sunday, close to its all-time record of 42.6°C set in July 2019. Nights aren’t cooling down either — tropical nights above 25°C are forecast, with Paris risking its nighttime minimum record of 25.5°C from August 2003. 

The current heatwave is comparable to the deadly ones in 2003 and 2019. The 2019 heatwaves caused about 1,500 more deaths than usual, while the August 2003 event killed nearly 15,000 people in France alone. 

More than half of France’s population — nearly 36 million people — are under orange heat alerts urging residents to be “very cautious”. At least 784 schools out of 60,000 have adjusted hours, with 150 closing completely. 

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu banned alcohol consumption at public events Sunday in 35 red-alert departments, including the Fête de la Musique festivals. SNCF rail boss Jean Castex urged vulnerable people to avoid trains, warning that heat can deform tracks and damage overhead lines.

Paris is allowing supervised swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin to help residents cope. “Spending an enormous amount of energy... to stop young people from swimming when it was 40 degrees... struck us as slightly absurd,” said Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire. 

This is France’s second heatwave in 2026, after an unusually hot May that shattered records across half the country. France just had its hottest spring since records began in 1900, with March to May 1.7°C above the norm. 

Europe is warming at more than double the global rate. The current system is an “Omega block” — a bulge of hot air from North Africa trapped over Europe. Météo-France climatologist Matthieu Sorel called this “one of the earliest since records began”. 

The heatwave stretches beyond France. The UK could break its June record set in 1976, with the Met Office forecasting highs that would make it the first time since 1911 that two consecutive months saw record-breaking heat. Germany has heat alerts nationwide with 38°C forecast. Spain closed a World Cup fan zone in Madrid due to extreme heat. 

With little nighttime relief and infrastructure under strain, French officials warn the heatwave will continue or worsen into next week. Health Minister Stephanie Rist said: “We’re heading for, at the very least, several days of very, very hot weather. We don’t know when temperatures will start falling”.