Paris - Paris and other areas of northern and north-central
France were on red alert for extreme heat on Thursday.
The capital's all-time record high temperature of 40.4 degrees,
dating back to 1947, is likely to be beaten, according to state
forecasting service Meteo France.
The forecaster predicts temperatures of 42 to 43 degrees in the
Paris, Loire Valley and Champagne regions.
Authorities are warning residents to avoid all sports and any
unnecessary trips, drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol, and check on
elderly relatives and neighbours.
Wednesday night was likely the hottest ever in France, Meteo France
said, with the average overnight low temperature provisionally
calculated at 21.4 degrees.
People cool off next to the fountains at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Picture: Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP
The cities of Lille and, further south, Toulouse and Bordeaux
recorded their highest-ever night-time minimum temperatures, the
forecast said.
It is the second time ever for France to issue a red alert - the
highest level of a three-step warning system - for a heatwave.
The first time was in June this year, when a record-breaking 46
degrees was measured in Vergargues, near Montpellier in southern France.
People cool off next to the fountains at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Picture: Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP
The previous record was 44.1 degrees, dating back to a 2003 heatwave
that caused 15,000 more deaths than usual in France and an estimated
70,000 more across Europe.