As the mercury continues its ascent, more than 80 percent of France is on orange alert – the second highest warning – for the heatwave. 

 

And while for some departments this is a regular occurrence, for others it is far more rare. 

 

For example on Thursday the department of Rhône in central eastern France was on orange alert for the 85th time since 2010, while the Calvados department in Normandy has not been on orange alert for heat for a decade. 

 

The map below published by Franceinfo reveals which departments of France have spent the most days on orange alert since 2010. 

 

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The darker the colour of the department, the more days they have been placed on alert. For example, those coloured black in central eastern France have been on alert for more than 50 days since 2010, while those coloured light yellow – mostly in the north west of the country have not been placed on alert at all since 2010. 

 

 

 

Paris, coloured bright red, has spent a total of 32 days on alert while warnings have been in place in the Dordogne, coloured dark orange, for a total of 24 days. 

 

Before a department is placed on alert, several factors are taken into account, France's national weather agency told Franceinfo. 

 

In addition to temperature, the agency considers how reliable its forecast is, humidity levels, pollution levels and how unusual the temperatures are for the time of year. 

 

Decisions are made “case by case”, the agency said, adding that it requires consultation with France's national health body Sante France Publique which provides expertise on the ability of organisations to withstand high temperatures.

 

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