01-07-2025
Schools close, nuclear reactor shuts down and pollution peaks as France's heatwave drags on
Red and orange warnings have covered nearly the entire country, with only a few green patches along the English Channel, as France endures its first major heatwave of the season. On Tuesday, July 1, and Wednesday, July 2, France is bracing for the peak of an exceptionally long and intense heatwave that has already persisted for 13 days.
On Monday afternoon, Météo-France, the French national meteorological service, prepared the country by placing 16 departments on red alert, the highest surveillance level set in consultation with the public health agency Santé Publique France and the Directorate General for Health. All departments in the Paris region were included, along with parts of the Centre-Val de Loire and Grand-Est regions. Another 68 departments remain on orange alert. Only five departments in the northwest, benefiting from maritime air, escaped the extreme heat.
Today, 88% of mainland France's population is living in departments under close watch. "This is unprecedented in terms of area covered," said Minister for Green Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher, noting that "only" 81 departments were placed on orange alert on July 23, 2019. "This heatwave is remarkable for how early it began and how long it is lasting, probably about 15 days," analyzed Matthieu Sorel, a climatologist at Météo-France, recalling that the 1976 heatwave, the longest in recorded history, lasted 14 days. "But we are currently experiencing much higher temperatures. Global warming has taken its toll," he added.
