For this second scorching episode in a few weeks, “the very strong heat is taking a lasting hold on the country”, indicated the institute in its bulletin on Saturday afternoon, placing a large part of central and western France on red alert from Sunday noon, the day of the Music Festival which draws crowds into the streets every year. This is a record number of territories placed on heatwave red alert, according to Météo-France, the previous one being 20 departments on July 24 and 25, 2019.
For this area going from the Paris region to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Météo-France predicts a “heatwave episode of exceptional intensity, similar to that of the heatwaves of July 2019 and August 2003, but of still uncertain duration”, with possibly up to 41°C in places. With 45 other departments on orange alert on Sunday, a total of more than three quarters of the French population will suffer from the heat, according to an analysis of data by AFP.
“Extreme vigilance” for the Fête de la Musique
Due to the extreme heat, the consumption of alcohol for the Music Festival on Sunday will be prohibited in the departments which will be placed on heat wave red alert, announced the government which has activated an interministerial crisis unit. The Minister of Culture Catherine Pgard called for “extreme vigilance”, while leaving the decision to maintain or cancel the festivities to the prefectures and municipalities. Overall, they maintained the festivities but with adaptations and reinforcement of prevention messages, according to an AFP review.
This prolonged heatwave, linked to climate change and which began on Thursday, is shaking up the country, forcing, among other things, schools or construction sites to adapt, or even close. Thus in Nantes, schools will remain closed Monday and Tuesday afternoons. On Monday, the mercury could rise further and “the average temperature in France (thermal indicator) could reach the level of the hottest day ever measured in France in all months combined”, warns Météo-France.
The lead screed is accompanied by a deterioration in air quality, with episodes of critical ozone pollution. According to scientific consensus, climate change induced by human activity is making extreme weather phenomena, including heat waves, more intense.
Heat killed some 5,700 people in France in 2025 after 3,700 the previous year, according to estimates from the French Public Health agency. Three quarters of deaths concern those over 75.
