Heatwave: 5 departments still on high alert, violent storms

Maximum vigilance remains in place on Wednesday, August 13, for Aude and four departments in the Rhône Valley, which are being hit by an intense heatwave that is easing on the Atlantic coast but is now moving towards the Northeast.

In the Southwest, the heatwave alert switched from red to orange at 6:00 a.m. for nine departments, where temperatures will still remain "very hot" , according to Météo France.

On Monday and Tuesday, the thermometer already broke several records , approaching 43°C in Saint-Laurent-du-Pape (Ardèche) and Saint-Côme-d'Olt in Aveyron (42.9°C). For the first time, it reached 37.2°C in the small village of Sauvages (Rhône), even though it is located at an altitude of 831 m.

While temperatures will slow down a little in the south on Wednesday, they will rise slightly in the northeast, with peaks of 40°C expected in Burgundy. In the capital, temperatures will still be around 35-36°C, after an already scorching Tuesday.

With nearly 70 departments on orange alert and five on red , only a quarter of the northwest remains relatively unaffected by the frenetic rise in temperature, to the great displeasure of those who have to work, especially outdoors.

The red heatwave alert will remain in effect until 6 a.m. on Thursday in the five affected departments, Météo France announced in its latest bulletin.

On Wednesday, occasional strong thunderstorms are also expected from mid-afternoon until late evening from the southwest to the center of the country, as well as in the Southern Alps, with 12 departments placed on orange alert .

Heatwave red alerts have also been issued in Italy, Portugal, the Balkans, and Spain, where dozens of fires are active, one of which has killed one person. Thousands of people have also had to be evacuated.

"These very high temperatures result from the very hot air mass, but also from the influence of climate change," explains Lauriane Batté, climatologist at Météo France, which gives air that is "warmer" on average than "a few decades ago."

Temperatures equal to or above 40°C have been recorded more than 1,800 times over the last ten years in France, compared to less than 40 times in the 1990s, according to data from weather stations analyzed.

In Aude , vigilance remains "maximum" to avoid any reactivation of the fire which covered 16,000 hectares before being brought under control on Sunday.

In the Île-de-France region, the AIRPARIF air observatory has announced an episode of ozone pollution that could continue until Thursday, increasing the health risks linked to pollution.

Since Friday, France has been experiencing its 51st heatwave since 1947 and its second in the summer of 2025. According to Météo France, it is expected to continue at the end of the week with "a new heatwave peak expected for the weekend of August 15."

After the heatwave, a risk of locally strong thunderstorms is expected in the Southwest, before moving north and across a quarter of the south-east of the country, according to Météo France forecasts.