France will no longer have departments on red heat wave alert from 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday July 15, Météo France announced, reporting a decline in the mass of hot air weighing on the country. Sixty-nine departments remain on orange heatwave vigilance and eleven are placed on orange storm vigilance.
The country will see a “descent of all 26 departments currently in red level to orange level”, according to the forecaster, who explains this by the fact that “the very hot air mass which has been stagnating over the country for several days will begin to regress from the west, under the influence of a more marked stormy deterioration during the day on Wednesday”.
For Wednesday July 15, 2026:
🟠69 depts on heatwave orange alert
🟠11 depts on orange thunderstorm alert
Stay informed: https://t.co/CSYEovTI83 pic.twitter.com/mMoxVMRh6H
— VigiMétéoFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) July 15, 2026
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On Wednesday, “less hot air gains from the west and the north” and temperatures will drop, particularly north of the Loire, according to Météo France. The highest temperatures, “between 36 and 38°C”, will only concern “an area around the Massif Central going from the Midi of Toulouse to the Rhône valley via the Center”.
Sharper drop in temperatures on Thursday
Two bursts of storms are expected on Wednesday: “a first at the end of the night” from northern Aquitaine to Poitou-Charentes, going back towards Brittany, and, from midday, “a second stormy axis, more marked”, will affect “the regions of Brittany towards Burgundy and southern Alsace (locally 30/40 mm)”, with thunderstorms which “could locally be strong”, according to Météo France.
“The intense heat and dry soils are causing an exceptional situation of forest fire danger,” recalled the forecaster, while firefighters are still fighting an extraordinary fire in the Fontainebleau forest.
The drop in temperatures will be more pronounced on Thursday. 35°C will only be exceeded during the day “from Occitanie to the Rhône valley, Provence and Corsica”.
