On Thursday, June 18, 2026, Paris Police Prefecture recommended canceling outdoor sports events due to the ongoing heatwave. Several municipalities have already canceled the popular Fête de la musique planned for Sunday.
The heatwave settled over a large part of France on Thursday, with 29 departments under orange alert. Fifty-three departments will be affected from Friday noon onward.
Paris Police Prefecture recommended that organizers of outdoor sports events postpone or cancel their activities in Paris and the inner suburbs. It also introduced differentiated traffic and reduced speed limits from Friday to combat ozone pollution.
Emmanuel Macron urged the French to exercise great vigilance and to look after the most vulnerable. The government activated the Canicule Info Service hotline.
A 30-year-old man died Thursday morning on an athletic track in Ermont, Val-d'Oise. Baccalaureate oral exams were postponed by one week in the Poitiers Academy.
