7 French departments under orange heat wave alert as temperatures rise

Seven departments in southern France will be under an orange heat wave alert from Saturday as very high temperatures are expected to persist across much of the southern half of the country, according to Meteo-France, cited by broadcaster Franceinfo.

The Pyrenees-Orientales department joined the five departments already under an orange alert — Ardeche, Aude, Drome, Gard and Herault — at 4 pm local time (1400GMT) Friday.

Maximum temperatures were expected to rise sharply Friday afternoon, particularly in the southwest and the Rhone Valley, reaching 35C (95F) to 38C (100.4F).

“Monthly heat records are again likely in some places,” the forecaster added.

Vaucluse will be placed under an orange heat wave alert from noon Saturday.

Overnight temperatures between Friday and Saturday are expected to range from 19C (66.2F) to 23C (73.4F) in Mediterranean regions.