LIVE - Heatwave: 16 departments on red alert Tuesday and Wednesday, France faces an extreme heatwave

A guest on TF1's morning show this Tuesday, the Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity, and Families assured that "the red alert has a meaning; it means that this heatwave affects everyone. Each of us must be vigilant."

For the moment, "there is no information on the number of people hospitalized," she declared, while recalling that measures have been anticipated: "As early as April, we put measures in place in hospitals and establishments welcoming elderly people." Finally, she called for the country to adapt sustainably to global warming: "We must set up cool islands in our cities," she stressed.

Sixteen departments, including the Île-de-France region, are on red heatwave alert for Tuesday. Temperatures could exceed 41°C in these areas.

In his construction company near Montpellier, Manuel, a 44-year-old construction worker, now has the same reflex every morning: "I check the weather forecast before I even have my coffee. If it goes above 30 degrees before noon, I know we're going to suffer." Faced with the crushing heatwave that has been hitting France for the past few days, these professionals each have their own little habits. He and his colleagues have brought forward the start time of the construction site to 6 a.m. to stop earlier. To cool off, he sometimes sits in his truck with the "air conditioning on full blast." Others bring wet towels or hose themselves down. "We adapt as best we can," he says. A phrase shared by many employees exposed to the heat, forced to improvise solutions due to a lack of clear guidelines or sufficient protection.

Since June 19, 2025, an early heatwave has been hitting Spain and Portugal, with temperatures locally exceeding 46 degrees, while in France, temperatures reached 40 degrees this weekend in the Southwest. And summer is only just beginning. While the Labor Code does not set a maximum temperature beyond which work would be suspended, a decree published on May 27, 2025, nevertheless modifies certain obligations for employers by strengthening their duty of prevention in the event of extreme heat.

Also read : "We adapt as best we can": employees' resourcefulness in the face of heatwaves

François Bayrou has postponed a planned trip on Tuesday to closely monitor the heatwave in France , which is affecting a record number of departments, his office announced on Monday. The Prime Minister has been monitoring the weather situation "in real time" since Sunday because "the duration, geographical spread and intensity of this heatwave require special vigilance," Matignon said in a statement.

He assures that the government is "fully mobilized" and "calls for the greatest caution and vigilance from everyone, especially towards the most vulnerable populations" , thanking the mobilized state services. François Bayrou was due to go to Chartres on Tuesday to present the reform of the territorial administration of the State to all the prefects. His trip has been postponed to the following Tuesday, July 8. The head of government must also respond this Tuesday afternoon to a motion of censure from the socialists , filed after the failure of the pension consultations.

Police Prefect Laurent Nuñez announced Monday that traffic restrictions would be imposed on Tuesday in the Île-de-France region, which has been placed on red alert for heatwaves and is suffering from persistent ozone pollution.

Between 5:30 a.m. and midnight, only the least polluting vehicles, equipped with a Crit'Air sticker of class 0, 1 and 2, will be authorized to circulate within the perimeter delimited by the A86 motorway, i.e. in Paris and in part of the inner suburbs.

In concrete terms, the speed is reduced to 110 km/h on sections of motorways normally limited to 130 km/h; to 90 km/h on sections of motorways and expressways normally limited to 110 km/h and to 70 km/h on sections of motorways and expressways normally limited to 90 km/h, as well as on national and departmental roads limited to 80 km/h or 90 km/h.

Transit vehicles with a maximum permissible laden weight (MPW) exceeding 3.5 tonnes will be required to bypass the capital via the Paris ring road.

The Ministry of Education announced this Monday evening that nearly 1,350 public schools, out of 45,000, will be partially or completely closed on Tuesday, twice as many as the day before, due to the heatwave , the Ministry of Education predicts.

The upper reaches of the Eiffel Tower in Paris have been closed since 1 p.m. Monday and will remain so on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the extreme heatwave affecting France is expected to peak on Tuesday, according to the website of the tower's manager. "Due to the ongoing heatwave, the Eiffel Tower is adapting to ensure the comfort and safety of our visitors and staff: the summit is closed today from 1 p.m., and it will remain closed all day on July 1 and 2," according to the website of the monument, a symbol of the French capital.

"Visitors with summit tickets: we invite you to check your email, you will be automatically reimbursed for services not used (summit access, guided tours). Visits to the 2nd and 1st floors remain possible," the manager states on the website. "Remember to protect yourself from the sun and hydrate regularly. Fountains are available in the paths leading to the forecourt," it adds.

While 84 departments were placed on orange heatwave alert this Monday, 16 departments will move to red alert on Tuesday at noon. Le Figaro met the intrepid souls who ventured into the streets of the capital.

OUR REPORT

41°C in Nîmes (Gard), 40°C in Tours (Indre-et-Loire) and Poitiers (Vienne), 39°C in Châteauroux (Indre), Orléans (Loiret) or Paris... France is expected to suffocate again on Tuesday. " The heat will reach its peak with peaks of 40°C spread across a large southern half, but also as far as the Centre-Val de Loire and part of the Massif Central ," indicates La Chaîne Météo*. The nights will be tropical, with temperatures struggling to fall below 23 to 25°C in urban areas."

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In its bulletin, Météo-France indicates that the 16 departments placed on red alert this Tuesday will also be on red alert this Wednesday.

" This Tuesday will be the hottest day of this heatwave with temperatures between 36°C and 39°C in the departments on orange alert, with some peaks of 40°C-41°C, particularly in the departments on red alert , as well as near the Mediterranean. A drop in temperatures will gradually begin on Wednesday in the west of the country, but temperatures will remain scorching in the center and east of the country ," explains the agency.

The new Météo-France bulletin announces that 68 departments are on orange alert this Tuesday, July 1st, and 16 will move to red alert in the coming hours.

France experienced its hottest night and day ever recorded for the month of June on Monday, but should expect a " peak " of the heatwave on Tuesday, with 16 departments moving to red alert , mainly in Île-de-France and Centre-Val de Loire.

Already on Monday, 84 of the 96 metropolitan departments, representing 88% of the population, were on orange heatwave alert. And 68 will remain on orange heatwave alert on Tuesday, in addition to the red ones.

It's a record-breaking end to the month: for the night from Sunday to Monday, the average temperature recorded at 30 representative points in mainland France reached 20.2°C, surpassing the previous record for June of 20.1°C -- on June 27, 2019 --, according to provisional data from Météo-France; then, during the day, with 28°C, this average also surpassed the highest value ever recorded for June, of 27.9°C.

Welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to following the news on Tuesday, July 1st. Almost all of metropolitan France is on orange or red heatwave alert due to a wave of extreme heat that is hitting all of Western Europe.