6:44 a.m. – 11 departments downgraded to orange this evening
The red heat wave vigilance will be lifted in 11 western departments from Thursday 10 p.m., Météo France announced.
Finistère, Côtes-d’Armor, Manche, Morbihan, Loire-Atlantique, Vendée, Charente-Maritime, Gironde, Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées will be downgraded this evening to orange, according to the meteorological organization, which keeps 61 departments in red at least until Friday.
6:32 a.m. – 72 departments on red alert
With 72 departments on red alert, Thursday could be the peak of the heatwave that France has been experiencing since the start of the week.
Temperatures are expected to rise again to “exceptionally high” levels, after reaching up to 43.8°C in Palluau (Vendée) on Wednesday, according to Météo France. From the South-West to the North-East, 51.1 million French people are on red alert, including 5.6 million people aged 75 and over.
6:26 a.m. – Three deaths likely to be linked to heatwave
Three deaths “observed at home” in Pas-de-Calais are “likely” to be linked to the heatwave episode that France is currently experiencing, announced the department prefecture.
According to a press release, “three deaths were noted at home, for which the heatwave is likely to have had an effect”. These three people are “an elderly man carrying out outdoor work” and “two people at home who also present other pathologies”, details the prefecture.
6:15 a.m. – Water restrictions in Val-d’Oise
Around ten municipalities and nearly 12,000 residents of Val-d’Oise have been affected by water restrictions since Tuesday evening, due to an excessive increase in consumption, a consequence of the heatwave, we learned from consistent sources.
These restrictions concern “11,400 people in 9 municipalities: Magny-en-Vexin, Arthies, Gandancourt (municipality of Avernes), Banthelu, Charmont, Cléry-en-Vexin, Guiry-en-Vexin, Maudétour-en-Vexin, Wy-dit-Joli-Village”, indicated the water giant Veolia, which carried out a “massive distribution of water bottles to residents concerned, replacing food and drink uses.
As a result of a “nearly 30% increase in water demand in the region”, the usual drilling “could not cope with the increase in demand”, indicated Veolia.
