Heatwave: Schools Closed, Heat Peak at 42°C, Drownings… Follow the Situation this Monday 22nd June

France, currently in a heatwave will experience maddening temperatures this Monday 22nd June, enough to reach the level of “the hottest day ever measured in France in all months combined”.

France is preparing to experience a suffocating day. While 49 departments are placed on heatwave red alert and that temperatures could rise as high as 42°C in places, this Monday 22nd June 2026 promises to be the culmination of this exceptional heat episode.

Faced with this heatwave particularly worrying, the authorities have taken unprecedented measures: hundreds of schools remain closed, thousands more are adjusting their schedules, and some baccalaureate exams have been postponed.

Ten deaths by drowning on Sunday in France

Ten people lost their lives on Sunday drowning, a Civil Security spokesperson announced on Monday, urging the population to bathe in supervised places in the context of extreme heat in France.

“Nationally, yesterday (Sunday) was marked by 10 drowning deaths“, declared Jérôme Boulanger, spokesperson for Civil Security, on Ici Paris-Île-de-France radio.

A total of 13 people died by drowning between Saturday 9:00 p.m. and Monday morning.

Valérie Pécresse recommends that travelers “not travel” and favor teleworking

The president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, a rrecommended to travelers “not to travel” and to favour teleworking, according to AFP, due to the disruptions which will affect Ile-de-France transport due to the heatwave.

Our transport will suffer enormously. They will suffer because the rails cannot withstand heat above 50 degrees. So we are going to have a lot of disruptions in transport.
Valérie Pecresse – President of Ile-de-France Mobilités

“There will be reductions in supply which will unfortunately depend on climatic conditions, the state of the equipment, the state of the rails”, she added, without giving details on the disrupted lines.

At 8:00 a.m., the IDFM site reported disruptions on two tram lines (T4 and T12), the RER D and E as well as line L of the Transilien for technical reasons (train breakdown, operating incidents or equipment failure). For the RER D, the disruptions are due to “weather conditions”, according to IDFM. On Sunday, IDFM announced that train cancellations were to be expected, particularly on RER B, C, D and E, but not for RER A, as well as the Transilien lines H, J, K, L, N, P, R and U.

“The problem is that air conditioning in transport is gentle air conditioning and it is air conditioning that is not capable of absorbing peak hours at 40 degrees”, explained the president of IDFM.

At what temperature are you allowed to leave work?

Don’t want to work today? It’s normal, it’s hot. Too hot. But going home and not working is not so easy.

If the Labor Code does not define any maximum temperature not to be exceeded in an office, your employer remains responsible for your health and safety. To leave your job and return home, you must believe that the working conditions represent a “serious and imminent danger to his life and health”. And thus activate your right of withdrawal.

Towards the hottest day in history in France

France woke up this Monday, June 22 in suffocating heat. During the night, temperatures reached peaks of 23°C to 26°C, according to Météo-France, particularly between Gironde and Poitou. And this Monday will be even hotter.

Maximum temperatures reaching 38 to 40 °C are expected in Île-de-France, western Brittany and the Rhône valley, and 40 to 42 °C from northern Aquitaine to Touraine and Anjou.

“The average temperature in France (thermal indicator) could reach the level of the hottest day ever measured in France all months combined, according to Météo-france.

Hundreds of schools closed and thousands of establishments with flexible schedules

The Minister of National Education announced on Sunday that 845 schools and colleges would remain closed this Monday due to the heat. At the same time, 1,800 other establishments will operate with flexible hours, with advanced outings or classes grouped in the coolest rooms.

Certain oral baccalaureate exams have also been postponed, particularly in several particularly affected academies.

The departments on heatwave red alert this Monday, June 22

In total 49 departments are placed on heatwave red alert this Monday, an exceptional alert level. A large part of the center, west and southwest of the country is affected.

Here are the departments on red alert this Monday:

Allier
Aube
Charente
Charente-Maritime
Cher
Corrèze
Côte-d’Or
Côtes d’Armor
Creuse
Dordogne
Eure-et-Loir
Finistère
Haute-Garonne
Gers
Gironde
Ille-et-Vilaine
Indre
Indre-et-Loire
Landes
Loir-et-Cher
Loire-Atlantique
Loiret
Lot
Lot-et-Garonne
Maine-et-Loire
Mayenne
Morbihan
Nièvre
Orne
Puy-de-Dôme
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Hautes-Pyrénées
Saône-et-Loire
Sarthe
Paris
Seine-et-Marne
Yvelines
Deux-Sèvres
Tarn
Tarn-et-Garonne
Vendée
Vienne
Haute-Vienne
Yonne
Essonne
Hauts-de-Seine
Seine-Saint-Denis
Val-de-Marne
Val-d’Oise

Added to this are several dozen departments on orange alert this Monday, here are the ones:

Ain
Aisne
Alpes-Maritimes
Ardèche
Ardennes
Ariège
Aveyron
Bouches-du-Rhône
Calvados
Cantal
Corse-du-Sud
Haute-Corse
Doubs
Drôme
Eure
Isère
Jura
Loire
Haute-Loire
Manche
Marne
Haute-Marne
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meuse
Moselle
Nord
Oise
Pas-de-Calais
Bas-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Rhône
Haute-Saône
Savoie
Haute-Savoie
Seine-Maritime
Somme
Var
Vaucluse
Vosges
Territoire de Belfort

Pour dimanche 21 juin 2026 :
🔴35 départements en vigilance rouge
🟠45 départements en vigilance orange
Pour lundi 22 juin 2026 :
🔴49 départements en vigilance rouge
🟠40 départements en vigilance orange
Restez prudents et informés : https://t.co/JGz4rTUvHP pic.twitter.com/YMrEx671Ux
— VigiMétéoFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) June 21, 2026

Météo France forecasts for this Monday

In a press release sent on Sunday, Météo France warns: ” this Monday 22nd June will be even hotter than Sunday.

Maximum temperatures could reach “38 to 40 °C in Île-de-France, western Brittany and the Rhône valley and 40 to 42 °C from northern Aquitaine to Touraine and Anjou”.

“The average temperature in France (thermal indicator) could reach the level of the hottest day ever measured in France in all months combined “, underlines the forecaster.

Météo France “does not plan no change in the following days, with a plateau between Monday and Thursday and maximum and minimum temperatures maintained at an extremely high level.