Published on
17/06/2026 - 11:01 GMT+2
Even before summer has arrived, France is bracing for its second heatwave, just a few weeks after the episode in May that smashed numerous records across half the country. "A heatwave will gradually take hold across the country this week", warned Christelle Robert of the national weather service, Météo-France.
In Paris, temperatures are expected to reach 40 °C on Sunday 21 and Monday 22 June. To help people in the capital cope better with this spell of extreme heat, Paris city hall has decided to allow swimming in a 100-metre section of the Canal Saint-Martin from this Wednesday 17 June, between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
City hall had already announced that this stretch of the canal would be open for swimming every Wednesday and Sunday from Monday 6 July to Monday 7 September. It will now be possible "throughout any heatwave", announced mayor Emmanuel Grégoire. "There will be a designated swimming area on the Canal Saint-Martin, with lifeguards on duty", the mayor said in a video posted on his social media accounts.
