Temperatures Could Reach 39°C as Six French Departments Remain on Orange Heatwave Alert

France's latest heatwave was still gripping the southeast on Monday, with temperatures expected to reach 39°C and six departments remaining under an orange alert.

Météo-France kept Ardèche, Aude, Drôme, Gard, Hérault and Vaucluse at the orange level until 6 a.m. Tuesday. The agency forecast highs of 35°C to 38°C across the southeast, particularly from Languedoc to the Rhône Valley, with isolated readings of 39°C.

The warning followed a weekend of exceptional September heat. On Sunday, temperatures reached 39.2°C in Albi, 38.4°C in Auch, 34°C in Aurillac and 32.6°C in Quintenic in Brittany. Météo-France said many places recorded temperatures never previously seen there in September.

The Chaîne Météo said nearly 600 monthly heat records had been broken between Thursday and Sunday. It nevertheless reported the beginning of a cooling trend in Occitanie, which could allow the heatwave alert to be lifted gradually from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning in Occitanie and southern Rhône-Alpes.