France issues ‘red alert’ over heatwave in south

France has issued a “red alert” for four southern regions amid a spell of excessively hot weather, with temperatures expected to peak at 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Rhone valley.

The alert, France’s most serious, allows local authorities to call off sporting or cultural events and close public facilities if needed.

The departments targeted by the alert are Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire, Meteo France said.

It was the sixth time the French meteorological service has triggered a red alert, part of the government’s programme to protect the population during periods of extreme weather, and the first such incidence this year.”We are prepared for this sort of meteorological event. We are just beefing up prevention,” Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau told reporters. “Our message to the population is one of maximum vigilance.”

At this stage French hospitals were not witnessing “any extremely massive” rise in the number of people seeking emergency care for heat-related illnesses, he added.

via Reuters