10:34 a.m.: 49 departments on orange alert
The orange alert concerns this Sunday 49 departments in total, against 28 departments the day before. That is a large southern half going from the Bas-Rhin to the Gironde, with temperatures “generally reaching 35 to 38°C in the south of the country (…) and possibly exceeding 40°C in the lower Rhône valley”, said Météo-France on Saturday afternoon.
These high temperatures are expected to continue “until the middle of next week, with a peak occurring between Monday and Wednesday depending on the region. Then, a drop in temperatures is expected from Thursday. All of this remains to be confirmed.