NNA – nbsp;France#39;s government held a crisis meeting Thursday to discuss measures to tackle a heatwave in which temperatures could climb beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) this weekend.
Senior civil servants from Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne#39;s office as well as the interior, health, agriculture and transport ministries attended the meeting, the office told AFP.
Paris has been stepping up hot-weather protection measures this summer after the intense heat and fierce wildfires of 2022.
On Friday it will launch an information hotline and begin broadcasting public information messages on the television and radio, said Borne#39;s office.
Seven of mainland France#39;s 96 departments are already on alert for summer storms and intense heat, and another 12 will join them on Friday, mainly in the east and south of the country.
Over the weekend, temperatures in the regions of Languedoc and Provence in the south could rise as high as 41C, said meteorologist Christelle Robert of Meteo France.
Forecasters expect the high temperatures to continue into early next week. mdash; AFPnbsp;
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