French heatwave recedes but orange alerts still in place in southeast

France’s third heatwave of the year is coming to an end, but there are still nine departments in the southeast of the country on orange heatwave alert.

Some of those departments are also on orange alert for storms, while two departments, Loire and Haute-Loire, are on orange alert only for storms.

• Orange alert only for heatwave: Ain, Gard, Rhône, Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Vaucluse
• Orange alert for heatwave and storms: Ardèche, Drôme, Isère
• Orange alert for storms: Loire and Haute-Loire

Météo-France said that the heatwave is “less intense than the previous one, but remains over the Rhône valley and in the Mediterranean area”.

Temperatures in the southeast corner of the country are set to reach between 36C to 38C.

Elsewhere in the country, the heatwave should start to recede.

Météo France said that this weekend the “heat will be moderate in the north, but still strong on the southern coast”.

Temperatures of below 30C are expected across the north of the country.

The high summer temperatures this year have contributed to a drought crisis in much of the country, with water restrictions in place nearly everywhere.

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