Var remains under Météo-France's orange canicule warning as a significant heatwave continues to grip the south of France, with the Alpes-Maritimes close behind and authorities across the Côte d'Azur maintaining heat-protection measures into the new week.
Inland areas of the Var have seen highs near 37°C, with the Alpes-Maritimes not far off at up to 36°C. Coastal towns including Nice, Cannes and Antibes have fared somewhat better thanks to sea breezes, with highs generally in the high 20s to low 30s, according to Météo-France forecasts. The hot spell peaked over the weekend and is expected to hold into the early part of this week before easing.
It has been a markedly earlier and more widespread heat episode than usual. Météo-France's national vigilance map shows dozens of departments under orange alert for canicule conditions, with some areas further north and west seeing even higher peaks than the Riviera itself.
Prefectures act on fire risk
The dry, hot conditions have sharply raised wildfire risk across the region. The Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, which maintains a nightly fire-danger forecast for the following day throughout the summer season, is urging residents to check conditions before any activity that could create a spark, from hiking and trail biking to garden work and welding. Burning and smoking in natural areas is already restricted under standing prefectural order, with the most severe rules taking effect from 1 July.
Officials note that roughly nine in ten forest fires in France are started by human activity, whether accidental or deliberate, making individual vigilance the single most effective form of prevention while the heat persists.
Councils activate vulnerable persons registers
Town halls along the coast have switched into summer heat-response mode. In Nice, the city's CCAS social services agency has its Plan Canicule running through to 15 September, with more than 2,500 residents currently enrolled on its register of frail and isolated people. Enrollees receive welfare calls every 48 hours during heat episodes, alongside home visits, access to air-conditioned spaces and a doubling-up of home care visits where needed. The city's homeless shelter opens an air-conditioned room during the day whenever a heat alert is in force.
Toulon has issued a similar call in recent days, asking residents over 65 and those with disabilities living alone to sign up to its vulnerable persons register, first introduced in 2004, so they can be reached by text or phone during orange or red alerts.
Residents wanting to register a vulnerable relative or neighbour can do so through their local mairie or CCAS office. The national heatwave information line, Canicule Info Service, is free to call on 0 800 06 66 66.
What residents should expect this week
With the warm spell coinciding with a busy run of summer events, the advice from health authorities remains the familiar but essential set of precautions: stay hydrated, avoid outdoor exertion during the hottest part of the afternoon, keep homes shaded and ventilated overnight, and check in on elderly or isolated neighbours.
Météo-France is expected to update its vigilance levels for the region as conditions develop. Blue Coast News will continue to track the heatwave across the Riviera through the week.