France Issues Widespread Heatwave Alerts as Temperatures Soar Above 40°C

Météo-France has placed 24 departments under its highest red alert and 59 others under orange warnings due to an intense heatwave. Forecasts indicate temperatures will exceed 40 degrees Celsius, impacting over 22 million people during a busy holiday period. The extreme heat has prompted early closures of major Parisian tourist sites and led to reduced output from nuclear reactors due to high river temperatures affecting cooling systems.