Temperatures are expected to fall in France from Thursday evening after another day of extreme heat that put 72 of mainland France's 96 departments on red alert, affecting more than 50 million people.

France has issued red heatwave alerts for around half the country including Paris for Monday as a heatwave pushes temperatures toward record levels.

Temperatures in Bordeaux were forecast to cross 42C on Monday, with 49 French regions placed under a red alert