Keep cool as the temperature soars

FRANCE is preparing for 10 days of suffocating temperatures with 26 departments on orange heatwave alert while the Health Ministry has set up a special phone line for people in difficulty.

Temperatures are forecast to hit 41C in Bordeaux this afternoon with 37C in Lyon and 38C in Nantes and Paris as a wave of heat arrives from Spain that will give night-time temperatures above 20C.

Tomorrow the heat will move across the centre of France, with temperatures in Lyon reaching 40C by Friday but in some places it will be worsened by air pollution with a peak in ozone.

Orange heatwave alerts have been called for Lot-et-Garonne, Lot, Dordogne, Corrèze, Haute-Vienne, Creuse, Puy-de-Dôme, Indre, Cher, Allier, Loire, Rhône, Ain, Saône-et-Loire, Nièvre, Loiret, Yonne, Côte-d'Or, Seine-et-Marne, Essonne, Yvelines, Val-d'Oise, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne and Paris.

Infography du jour. France as a giant melting ice cream. Warmest in 60 years. it's going to last 10 days #canicule pic.twitter.com/NiCwNBI7u1— Agnes Poirier (@AgnesCPoirier) June 30, 2015

The heatwave phone line 0800 06 66 66 is free from landlines and operates between 9.00 and 19.00 to give information and support (in French). Some towns have asked old or vulnerable people to join their “registre canicule” heatwave lists so they can get better support or home visits.

The heatwave threat is well known in France as there were up to 15,000 deaths of old people blamed on the heat in the 2003 heatwave.

Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal, speaking after a ministers’ meeting on the heatwave, said air-conditioned public buildings such as shopping malls, cinemas and libraries would be opened to help affected people.

She warned residents to “be vigilant, because the heatwave is going to last until mid-July even if there will be strong temperature variations”.

Ms Royal added: “People should wet their hair, head and body. In previous heatwaves we have recommended that people drink plenty of water but to bring down the temperatures of vulnerable people and children we should go as far as wrapping them in wet towels to help.”

#Canicule Pour éviter le coup de chauffe en voiture en cas de forte chaleur, suivez ces conseils #Vigilance #Sécurité pic.twitter.com/HV5zRJj2Sh— GendarmerieNationale (@Gendarmerie) June 29, 2015

The Health Ministry said people should: Keep cool, drink water regularly, take showers, close curtains and shutters during the day and air the house in the cool morning.

Although it is tempting to break out the rosé or the gin and tonic, drinking alcohol is not advised as this is dehydrating and can affect judgment.

Reader Carol Dent on the Connexion Facebook page said she had “her pillow slips in the fridge” to get cool and French company Climsom has had a similar idea with gel-based Coolpad pillow liners that keep you naturally cool while you sleep. It even has a water-filled “Chillow” to do the same.

Damart is usually known for its warm clothing but it also has a cooling T-shirt that uses sugar crystals in micro-balls in the fabric that melt once warm to bring down the body temperature.

Contre la canicule, les meilleures boissons et les pires (indice la bière n'est pas une bonne idée) http://t.co/Aj7LZQ3EuM— Le HuffPost (@LeHuffPost) June 30, 2015

Canicule: Un zoo normand prépare des sorbets au sang pour les félins http://t.co/HhpEa1RQwz pic.twitter.com/fIj9cV62He— 20 Minutes (@20Minutes) June 29, 2015