Six -six apartments in France, including Paris and its region, have been put in a state of red alarm today for tomorrow Tuesday, the country’s meteorological service announced today, predicting that the heat would be particularly choking in the wider French capital.

The red heat alarm is the highest level of health alarm in France (after yellow and orange) and allows the authorities to act and limit certain activities. It corresponds to an extreme heat, rare for its duration, intensity, geographical range and with a strong impact on health on the whole population.

Apart from the capital, the alarm relates to the neighboring apartments and some apartments mainly located in the southwestern part of the Paris region.

The last time such an alarm was declared for France was in August 2023. In the Paris region, it is the first time for five years (7 to 12 August 2020) that this level of alarm entered into force, according to Météo-France.

“The heat climax in the wider Paris region will be very fierce on Tuesday and Tuesday night to Wednesday” with a “particularly difficult heat,” warns Météo-France.

The third will be the warmest day of this episode with very high temperatures, between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius, possibly higher in places and maximum temperatures ranging between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius, possibly 41 degrees Celsius in the apartments.

Already, according to Météo-France, France has experienced the warmest night (Sunday to Monday) ever recorded in June, and today, Monday, a monthly record.

“The night we have just experienced is the warmest night France recorded” in June, “as the national temperature index at national level reached 20.2 degrees Celsius, exceeding 20.1 degrees Celsius on June 27, 2019,” said Meteorologist Matio.

For Monday, “the average temperature thermal index reached 28 degrees Celsius, exceeding the temperature ever recorded for June, 27.9 degrees Celsius on June 27, 2019,” he added.

Sixty -eight apartments in France, out of a total of 101, remain in an orange alarm.

Only the apartments near the Channel and the Belgium border record temperatures below 34 degrees Celsius.

Early wave of heat in Europe

Apart from France, authorities have issued alarms in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Germany. Even the Netherlands, which is common in a milder climate, has issued a warning of high temperatures in the coming days, combined with high moisture rates.

“Large parts of Western Europe are facing extreme heat and heatwaves usually observed in July or August, despite June,” said Samantha Bergs, head of the Copernicus EU climate.

Temperatures were, in some areas, 5-10 degrees higher than the level they should be at this time of year, she said.

In France, fires broke out yesterday in Od, in the southwestern part of the country, where mercury fired at 40 degrees Celsius, turning 4,000 acres to ashes and leading to the evacuation of a camp and a monastery, according to authorities.

The fires have been under control, however, they have not yet been erased, it became known today.

‘Baked’ western Europe

From the spectators waiting in the queue for the Juimleton Tennis Tournament to the tourists in the Colosseum of Rome and Seville, Spain, citizens are “burned” by high temperatures.

“It’s about 20 degrees warmer than I am used to and I have burned all over my body,” said Scott Henderson, who came from Scotland to watch the famous tournament.

Spain is heading towards the warmest June in time, according to the Spanish meteorological service.

“In the coming days, at least until Thursday, the heavy heat will continue in most of Spain,” said Ruben del Campo, a spokesman for AMET.

In Seville, southern Spain, where leaders from around the world gathered for a UN meeting, mercury reached 42 degrees Celsius.

“It’s horrible,” said municipal employee Bernabe Rufus as he cleaned a fountain. “We have to constantly look for a shady place.”

The highest temperature in the country was 43.7 degrees Celsius in El Granado.

In Italy, the Ministry of Health issued red alarms for heat in 16 cities, including in Rome and Milan. The Lombardy Region plans to ban outdoors work out of the hottest hours of the day, responding to a relevant request from trade unions.

In Germany, the authorities’ warnings are currently in force for high temperatures in many areas in the western and southwestern part of the country, where mercury exceeded 34 degrees Celsius. Authorities have appealed to consumers to limit the use of water.