“Fifth Heatwave”: The Return of the 40°C? What to Expect on Sunday and Monday, at the Peak of the Heatwave

A large part of the country will still suffocate between Sunday 2nd August and Monday 3rd August. Météo-France has placed 20 departments on orange heatwave alert for Sunday.

We’re not done with the heat. While’around twenty departments are already on orange heatwave alert this Saturday 1st August, one new significant increase in temperaturs is expected in many regions on Sunday 2nd August and Monday 3rd August, at the height of the episode, with, at the same time, storm pockets.

Heat wave on Sunday over a large part of the country

Indeed, we wait more than 35°C in the southern half and in the center from the country sunday 2nd August, with locally over 37-38°C between new Aquitaine, Occitanie and the Mediterranean hinterland. THE 30°C will also be reached or exceeded on almost the entire northern half.

Temperatures forecast for France — The Météo France forecast for Sunday August 2 (©Météo France)

Here it is the departments on orange heatwave alert for Sunday 2nd August, according to the Météo-France 4 pm. bulletin for this Saturday August 1st:

Ain
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Ardèche
Corse-du-Sud
Doubs
Drôme
Gard
Haute-Corse
Haute-Savoie
Hautes-Alpes
Isère
Jura
Loire
Rhône
Savoie
Saône-et-Loire
Terr. de Belfort
Var
Vaucluse

And it will climb again on Monday 3rd August.

So, is this the fourth heatwave that has lasted since Tuesday 28th July, or a fifth after a short stormy respite… The result is in any case the same: the ITN, the national thermal indicator, which gives average daily temperature measurements in 30 French weather stations, will be at its peak Monday. So it will be about the hottest day, overall, before coming back down from next weekend.

However, it should be far from reaching its absolute record, broken on the 24th June with an average of 30.1°C throughout France. It should indeed reach 26°C at its highest, and exceed the threshold of 25°C for five days, the sufficient value to define a heatwave episode.

The 40°C back Monday?

On Monday, we could note 31 to 35°C north of the Loire, 34 to 39°C south, with some potential peaks of 40°C. Paris could approach 36°C, Lyon 37°C, Toulouse 38°C and Avignon or Nîmes 39°C.

During the night from Sunday to Monday, nighttime temperatures remain high over the southern two thirds of the territory, often close to 20 °C, and even warmer along the Mediterranean coast. During the day, Monday, extreme heat extends across the entire country, with the hottest areas concentrated mainly in the east, as well as from northern Occitanie to Île-de-France. Locally strong thunderstorms are expected from the southwest to the eastern borders.
Météo-France

Some heat storms may indeed burst occasionally, in particular on the reliefs of the Pyrenees and as far as the north-east. Rain may occur but will remain very irregular and will not be enough to stop the drought.

The temperatures will therefore once again be stifling, and this for the second time in a week. As a reminder, we noted 40.2 °C this Wednesday July 29 in Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées), an unprecedented value for the resort, 41°C in Bergerac (Dordogne), 40.7°C in Angoulême (Charente) and Bordeaux (Gironde), 40.4°C in Auch (Gers), 38°C in Paris…).

“At best, to return to values consistent with “normal” values across the country, we will have to wait until the 15th August, 2026″, estimates, meteorologist and oceanographer Yann Amice. Even if a “breathing” is emerging for the 6th and 7th August, with probably a new burst of storms in France.