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Heatwave drags on as France faces red-hot weekend

Oliver Gee
Oliver Gee - [email protected]
Heatwave drags on as France faces red-hot weekend
Photo: AFP

If you were hoping for a milder end of the week then you're out of luck, with the sun banging on France's front door and refusing to go away.

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France's weather agency Météo France released a bulletin on Friday morning in which it extended the heatwave warnings until late on Saturday night. 
 
That means that a total of 43 départements (out of the 96 in metropolitan France) are still on orange alert, a warning that calls for residents to be "very vigilant".
 
The heatwave, which began on Tuesday, has seen temperatures as high as 39C in some parts of France, with the mercury tipped to reach 37C in central and eastern France on Friday and 34C in the Paris region.
 
Taking a look at the map below, it's clear that the hottest parts of the country are mainly in the centre and the north east, although several départements in the south west are also on orange alert.
 
 
The nearby yellow patches are where alerts have been issued for residents to be "attentive" in the face of warmer temperatures than usual. 
 
Only the south east and north west will be escaping the heat in the coming days. 
 
Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid 30's throughout Friday and Saturday. A noticeable drop has been predicted for Sunday, when thunderstorms are expected to hit in the east and there will be patches of rain in the centre. 
 
Sunday's temperatures will drop to the mid 20's, the agency predicted. 
 
Friday afternoon will be hot, again. Photo: Météo France
 
Saturday afternoon will be hot too. Photo: Météo France
 
The agency said that even healthy people will be at risk if they're in the areas with orange alerts, and it urged people to watch out for signs of heat stroke, especially among the sick and elderly. 
 
For those in Paris, which is also on orange alert, don't forget that the Bassin de la Villette in the north eastern 19th arrondissement will be open to the public for swimming from 3pm
 
Other options to stay cool include checking out some of France's best beaches, or the best places to get an ice cream
 

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