France Faces Likely New Heatwave This Weekend

Overview

• Météo‑France told AFP on Tuesday that a new episode of very high heat is likely to begin Friday and through the weekend with many areas forecast to reach above 35°C, though the exact intensity and footprint remain uncertain.
• Meteorological models diverge on how hot and widespread the episode will be, with some runs projecting a long, intense anticyclone over the south and others showing a more limited event that spares northern coasts.
• Health and emergency services are already under pressure after June’s exceptional heat, with Santé publique France reporting about 1,000 excess deaths since June 24 and hospitals warning of heavy demand and fatigued staff.
• Infrastructure and businesses have shown fragility: thousands remained cut off by power outages after the recent heat, firms reported direct losses from refrigeration failures, and retailers face major air‑conditioner shortages because most units are made in Asia and must travel by sea due to flammable refrigerants, producing multi‑month delays.
• The threat is continental: forecasts put more than 95 million Europeans at risk of temperatures above 35°C this week, scientists say the extreme June heat was virtually impossible without human‑driven warming, and repeated events raise the prospect of worsening drought, crop damage and larger fire seasons.