France’s big Fête de la Musique weekend looks like it could be affected by the weather, while local officials are considering cancelling outdoor sporting events as temperatures rise. On Friday, national forecaster Météo-France placed 53 départements on orange alert – the second highest level – as the country baked under a second prolonged heatwave in a matter of weeks, A similar number of départements were on provisional orange heatwave alert for Saturday, too, as forecasters warned that the heatwave would not peak until Sunday and
Monday, when temperatures in parts of the country expected to nudge past 40C in central areas – after first crossing that mark on Thursday in Vienne. Ministers have warned that red weather warnings may be issued from Sunday, while forecasters have suggested that the heatwave could last up to a fortnight. The government’s Heatwave Information Service hotline – free in mainland France – has been activated. on 0800 06 66 66, and will be available daily from 9am to 7pm throughout the duration of the
current hot spell. The hotline “provides advice on how to protect yourself and those around you, especially the most vulnerable, and how to adopt the right reflexes in the face of extreme heat”. If the heat wasn’t enough, powerful storms are forecast in the north – five départements were placed on orange alert for storms on Friday, with hail and rain from a relatively rare supercell storm causing significant damage in the Nord in the early afternoon. A further 10 are provisionally on yellow alert
on Saturday, and more storms possible on Sunday. Watch out for those, too, especially in the north, and east of the country. It’s not a particularly busy travel period – in fact, roads watchdog Bison Futé is showing green across the board this weekend, but the high temperatures have already prompted a number of rail cancellations for safety purposes. Nearly 50 percent of Intercité journeys are cancelled this weekend on the Bordeaux-Marseille line, while in some areas rail bosses say that trains without air conditioning
will not run, leading to a reduction in the service. If you are taking the train in France this weekend, it’s probably a good idea everything is running to schedule. Fête de la Musique A number of events have been called off by local authorities because of the high temperatures, but – for now, at least – there are no plans to cancel or restrict this year’s Fête de la Musique celebrations outright, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has said. Speaking following a meeting with his
ministerial counterpart at the Ministry of Health, Stéphanie Rist, he said that he had asked préfets, in “very close contact with [event] organisers, to ensure that all precautions are taken so that these festivities take place under the best possible conditions.” Several local authorities have already cancelled Fête de la musique events, while others are considering it. Best advice, if you are hoping to enjoy the street music on Sunday, is to check local press and mairie websites for the latest information. Elite sport in
France is currently scheduled to go ahead as planned, but further down the pyramids, local amateur sports events could well be affected by the heatwave. On Friday, Nunez said that préfets have been “advised to cancel outdoor sporting events”. As with the Fête de la Musique, a number of events have already been called off for safety reasons. This is, understandably, disappointing for those hoping to take part, but is being done for exactly the right reasons. During the heatwave in May two people died
at outdoor sports events. Cancellations are virtually guaranteed in any area that is placed under the ‘red’ heatwave alert.
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