Drivers warned of 'red alert' weekend roads in France

Drivers are warned to be alert to the rise in traffic, and plan their journeys accordingly.

Today (Friday July 27) is already on “orange alert - difficult”, but tomorrow is expected to be “red - very difficult” across the entire country as the first of the July holidaymakers (dubbed “Juliettistes”) and August holidaymakers (“Aoûtiens”) crossover on their journeys.

Traffic will “remain dense” overnight from Friday to Saturday, with the “first traffic jams expected from 4am [on Saturday] in certain areas”.

The A7 road in the Rhône valley, the A9 along the Mediterranean, and the A10 around Bordeaux, are expected to be especially gridlocked.

In the “return” direction (roads going north) Saturday is to be classed as “orange - difficult”.

Sunday will be easier; the forecaster has said that things will return to “green - normal” in both the departure and return directions for most of the day - although Sunday morning could still see difficulties on the A7 in the Rhône valley, A10 in the Central region, and A13 in Normandy.

Next weekend - the first in August - is expected to be worse still, however, and is the only day of the entire summer to be predicted as “black - extremely difficult” across the whole country.