South-east France is still in the grip of the fourth heatwave of the summer – but the rest of the country is due to plough straight into a fifth in a few days, with temperatures expected to top 40C in the south and 35C in the north.
Eight départements in the south-east of France were under orange weather alert on Friday as they sweltered under the remnants of the fourth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures hitting 40C in the Gard and Var.
And there will be little room for respite. After a stormy weekend in the south of the country, temperatures across almost all of France are set to soar again in the second full week of August, with the mercury expected to pass 40C in parts of the south and 35C in the northern areas.
A relatively small part of north-western France will escape the worst of the latest in an unprecedented series of heatwaves.
The latest hot phase of the sweltering summer of 2026 – July was the hottest month on record in France – is set to start on Sunday, when temperatures will exceed 30C across much of the country before climbing even higher early in the new week.
