[Update July 20 at 14:35 - The orange storm alert has now been extended to Ain as well.]
There are 21 departments in the east of France on orange heatwave or storm alert, a situation that could last for several more days, Météo-France states.
The scorching weather has arrived from the west of the country, where there were record-breaking temperatures in 63 places and massive wildfires.
Many of these are also on yellow alert for storms. Temperatures in the south east could reach close to 40C.
The departments on orange storm alert are:
Ad
Moselle, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Vosges, Haute-Saône, Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Territoire de Belfort, Doubs and Jura.
Météo-France states:
“On Wednesday, the high temperatures will only affect the south-eastern quarter of the country as well as Alsace, with night-time temperatures still very high.
“This situation is likely to continue for several more days in these regions.
“Regarding storms, they will initially only hit a small area but will then spread to all departments under orange alert. These storms could be violent accompanied by hail and strong electrical activity.”
Météo-France’s temperature forecast for Wednesday, July 20. Credit: Météo-France
