The Heatwave Gains Intensity this Sunday: Red Alert Extended to 37 Departments, up to 43°C Forecast

As the heatwave continues, Météo France anticipates a very hot day throughout the country, this Sunday 12th July 2026.

The peak of the third heatwave from 2026 expected this Sunday 12th July. More than a week after the start of this heat wave, we should reach almost record values in certain regions of the country. according to Météo-France.

Consequence: the weather organization has extended its red alert (red vigilance) to 37 departments, against 24 this Saturday. Here they are:

Allier
Aveyron
Charente
Cher
Corrèze
Creuse
Deux-Sèvres
Dordogne
Essonne
Eure-et-Loir
Haute-Vienne
Hauts-de-Seine
Ille-et-Vilaine
Indre
Indre-et-Loire
Loir-et-Cher
Loire-Atlantique
Loiret
Lot
Lot-et-Garonne
Maine-et-Loire
Mayenne
Morbihan
Nièvre
Orne
Paris
Sarthe
Seine-St-Denis
Seine-et-Marne
Tarn
Tarn-et-Garonne
Val-D’Oise
Val-de-Marne
Vendée
Vienne
Yonne
Yvelines

At the same time, 46 departments are on orange alert:

Ain
Aisne
Ardennes
Ardèche
Ariège
Aube
Bas-Rhin
Calvados
Cantal
Charente-Maritime
Côte-d’Or
Côtes d’Armor
Doubs
Drôme
Eure
Finistère
Gers
Gironde
Haut-Rhin
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Marne
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Saône
Hautes-Pyrénées
Isère
Jura
Landes
Loire
Manche
Marne
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meuse
Moselle
Nord
Oise
Pas-de-Calais
Puy-de-Dôme
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Rhône
Savoie
Saône-et-Loire
Seine-Maritime
Somme
Terr. de Belfort
Vaucluse
Vosges

More than 28°C average temperature?

This Sunday, the ITN (national thermal index, i.e. the average daily temperature in mainland France measured by Météo France) should be between 28.25°C and 28.53°C. This is below the record of 30.1°C recorded on June 24, 2026, but it is well above the heatwave threshold of 25.3°C.

Locally, maximums of around 40°C are expected across the entire western coast, Île-de-France and the center of the country. The thermometer could flirt with 41°C, 42°C, or even 43°C in the southwest.

When will the heatwave end?

Only a few territories on the Mediterranean coast should be spared for the moment. As explained by meteorologist Yann Amice, “the hot block is starting to shift towards the east, driven by fairly violent storms off the coast of Brittany and the Atlantic coast”. And the heat will gradually escape throughout the next week. We should emerge from the heatwave around July 16-17.