Much of France remains on heatwave alert on Wednesday (August 13) while some regions will be hit by dramatic thunderstorms from the afternoon into the evening.
The maximum red alert for the heatwave is being maintained by the national weather agency M茅t茅o-France in five departments 鈥� Aude, Is猫re, Rh么ne, Dr么me and Ard猫che 鈥� down from 14 departments on Tuesday.
Another 68 departments are on the slightly lower orange alert for high temperatures.
M茅t茅o-France says there will be a 鈥渞elative cooling鈥� in the west of the country on Wednesday, bringing thunder storms, with temperatures falling below 35C.
However, 鈥渧ery high鈥� temperatures are set to continue in the east of the country, with 36-39C forecast; in the central east, temperatures could reach 40-42C.
The red alert will remain in place for central eastern France until 6:00 on Thursday, August 14.
While temperatures are set to cool slightly over the next few days in some areas, they could rise again towards the weekend.
Record-breaking temperatures
The heatwave sweeping much of the country saw a number of temperature records broken on Tuesday.
The hottest temperature recorded in France was in Saint Laurent du Pape, in Ard猫che, where the mercury rose to 42.9C, an all-time record since 1950.
Other temperature peaks on Tuesday included:
42.4C in Carcassonne
41.4C in Aubenas
40.6C in Toulouse
40.2C in Mont茅limar
39.7C in Grenoble
39.5C in Lyon-Bron
Records were also broken in several areas of south-west France on Monday including Bordeaux (41.6C) and Bergerac (42.1C).
Stormy weather
Thunderstorms are forecast on Wednesday afternoon from the south-west to the centre of the country, as well as over the southern Alps.
12 departments are on alert for the storms, which are set to begin in the mid-afternoon and continue until late evening.
The departments on alert for thunderstorms are Loiret, Yonne, Cher, Ni猫vre, Allier, Lot, Aveyron, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne and Haute-Garonne.
The storms may be accompanied by strong gusts of wind of 80-100km/hour, hail, and lightning, M茅t茅o-France warned.
Rising temperatures in the north-east
While some of the south of the country will experience a relative drop in temperatures on Wednesday, the north-east of the country will see a rise in temperatures.
Temperatures are expected to peak at around 35-36C in Paris and 40C in Burgundy, according to M茅t茅o-France.
And the heatwave will be at its most intense in the central-eastern part of the country on Wednesday.
M茅t茅o-France expects some annual temperature records could be broken in some areas in the Rh么ne and Is猫re regions.
Uncomfortable nights
The heatwave has meant many areas of France have been experiencing unseasonably high overnight temperatures.
In Nice, the temperature has not dropped below 25C for three days, including overnight.
While in Grenoble, where local authorities have cancelled outdoor children鈥檚 activities because of the heat, it was still 28C at midnight.
You can find tips for keeping your home cool in hot temperatures here.
Wildfires
In Aude, one of the departments still on red alert for high temperatures on Wednesday,
firefighters have now got a wildfire under control that has been raging for much of the past week.
The fire, the largest in France for more than 50 years, destroyed at least 16,000 hectares of land.
As of Wednesday morning, there were still around 500 firefighters deployed to keep the fire under control.
There remains a 鈥渉igh risk鈥� of fires in the south, Auvergne and the Rhone Valley, according to M茅t茅o-France.
Speed reductions as air quality affected
The high temperatures have caused an 鈥渙zone pollution episode鈥� in the Ile-de-France and Provence-Alpes-C么te d'Azur regions, affecting air quality in the areas.
Air quality is set to be lower in Bouches-du-Rh么ne, Var, Vaucluse and throughout the 脦le-de-France region.
Some local authorities are implementing measures to help tackle the issue, such as reducing the speed of cars on the roads.
Authorities in the Ile-de-France, for example, are urging motorists to reduce speeds, avoid car journeys if possible, or to prioritise carpooling if travelling on Wednesday.
