HEAT WAVE VIGILANCE CARD. While this beginning of the week promises to be very hot for 3/4 of the country, Météo France places 7 departments on heat wave orange vigilance and 25 departments on heat wave yellow vigilance. What do these alertness levels mean? Discover the map and all the info.
[Updated July 10, 2023 at 9:54 a.m.] After a hot weekend, the mercury remains very high for much of France at the start of the week. Météo France has therefore decided to update its heat wave vigilance map to place 7 departments on heat wave orange vigilance and 25 departments on heat wave yellow vigilance. But what do these two levels of danger mean and what measures are planned?
Since the deadly heat wave of 2003, Météo France has set up a map system to inform about “heat waves” in France, qualified as heat waves, in the form of levels. The purpose of this heatwave vigilance map? Prevent risks and alert authorities and populations. Every day, between June 1 and September 15, Météo France publishes its monitoring bulletin. During hot weather, a vigilance map is updated in the morning and evening with several color levels, each corresponding to a level of danger: green, yellow, orange and red.
This Monday, July 10, 2023, 32 departments are placed in heat wave vigilance by Météo France, 7 in orange vigilance (Ain, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Isère, Loire, Rhône and Var) and 25 in yellow vigilance ( Allier, Ardèche, Aude, Bas-Rhin, Bouches-du-Rhône, Cantal, Corse-du-Sud, Côte d’Or, Doubs, Drôme, Gard, Haute-Corse, Haute-Loire, Haute-Savoie, Hautes-Alpes , Haut-Rhin, Hérault, Lozère, Jura, Puy-de-Dôme, Saône et Loire, Savoie, Tarn, Territory of Belfort and Vaucluse). Here is the map published this morning at 6 a.m.:
Every day during heat waves, Météo France updates its vigilance map at 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. There are 3 levels of heat wave alertness:
The green color on the Météo-France map means that there is no special vigilance.
After the heatwave episode of 2003, the government decided to set up a National Heatwave Plan (PNC). This heat wave plan is then activated each year from June 1 to September 15 in order to monitor seasonal weather conditions and to be able to act and warn in the event of a heat wave. This plan defines a total of 4 levels of alert, with for each measures to be put in place in order to limit the health effects and protect the most fragile people such as the elderly, infants, children, infants, pregnant women… The heat wave plan also makes it possible to identify vulnerable and isolated people. During a heat wave, take the right steps.
The national heat wave plan defines 4 levels:
Each level of the heat wave plan corresponds to a very specific system piloted by Public Health France, with the Ministry of Health and Prevention, in order to raise awareness and inform French people of the risks associated with each level of vigilance, of the precautions to be taken in the event of heat waves, to protect the most vulnerable (infants, pregnant women, elderly people, etc.) or those most exposed to heat due to their work, and thus avoid a health crisis. Here are the actions taken:
The Minister of Health and Prevention, François Braun, announced on July 13 that he was reactivating the toll-free number Canicule info service. You can reach 0800 06 66 66 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday (free call from a landline in France). An operator will inform you about the heat wave, give you advice on what to do in case of high temperatures to cool you down and lower the temperature in your accommodation.
