The third heatwave to hit France in two months intensifies, with the highest alert declared in nine departments in the west of the country on Friday, set to rise to more than twenty departments on Saturday, as wildfires rage across the country.

France's national weather service Météo-France announced on Friday that 24 departments in the northwest of the country will be placed on red alert (the highest level) on Saturday due to extreme heat, and 56 other departments will be on orange alert, according to AFP.

Video Player is loading.

Current Time 0:00

Duration 1:17

Loaded: 5.13%

Remaining Time 1:17

The French alert system has four levels, from green (lowest) to red (extreme), via yellow and orange.

Météo-France said that in addition to the nine western departments on red alert Friday, 72 departments were placed on orange alert, forecasting temperatures between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius in the afternoon from Poitou-Charentes to the southern regions of Pays de la Loire and Centre-Val de Loire. It also predicted temperatures between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius in other parts of the northern half of the country.

Aerial image showing burning areas in southern France – July 8, 2026 - AFP

Only Corsica, the Côte d'Azur coast, and the north of the country, along with some mountainous areas, will escape the extreme temperatures in France.

Météo-France warned that the heatwave will continue at least until mid-next week, although a slight drop in temperatures began on the west coast on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu held an emergency meeting on Friday morning due to the heatwave.

In response to this third heatwave in less than two months, the government activated a 'special extreme heat emergency plan, which did not exist before,' in the departments under red alert.

The French government faced harsh criticism for its lack of preparedness for the extreme heatwave, as a significant rise in heat-related deaths was recorded in recent weeks.

As a result of the heatwave combined with drought, the wildfire front remains active.

In the Drôme department in southeastern France, fires have destroyed 3,700 hectares, according to a morning report from firefighters on Friday.

Météo-France classified one department at 'very high risk' for wildfires, and 63 others at 'high risk'.

Ad material

Ad material