France Roadtrip Wildfire Safety & Avoidance GuideFree guide, 14 chapters

Wildfires & heat · rebuilt from live data 16 August 2026

Gironde fire still active — France's fire emergency

The dominant story: red forest-fire vigilance, closed roads and access bans remain — avoid Saumos/Le Porge. Also live — Orange heat alerts remain live in France; Gironde smoke and hot spots can still flare in wind. Satellites recorded 90 distinct heat locations in the last 24 hours, led by Centre-Val de Loire (2 areas), Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (4 areas), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (1 area). 108 orange weather alerts are live (Météo-France vigilance).

90deduped satellite heat locations, last 24 h
0red heat vigilance départements
28orange heat vigilance départements
29yellow heat vigilance départements
Vigilance jaune canicule — Sun 16 August (29 départements, Météo-France) Vigilance orange canicule — Sun 16 August (28 départements, Météo-France) Paris38° Lyon40° Bordeaux39° Toulouse39° Nantes36° Lille37° Strasbourg38° Nice34° Pouzols-Minervois Canet-en-Roussillon Sainte-Marie-la-Mer Roquemaure Lançon-Provence Rognac Marseille Fréjus Gironde fireapprox. zone · mass evacuationsGironde fire — north of the Arcachon Basin, burning since 22 July. Approximate zone; 200,000+ evacuated, A63 closed.
Reported wildfire Satellite heat detection, last 24 h
Yellow canicule (heatwave) vigilance Orange canicule (heatwave) vigilance 38° Week's hottest forecast day Weekly averages, out to six weeks: month-ahead outlook →
Metropolitan France — 108 orange weather alerts live (MeteoAlarm). Zoom or tap an area below the map to inspect any fire zone.

Using this map for travel

Travelling near a fire marker?Check whether roads, hotels, resorts or official instructions affect your exact route Driving a campervan or motorhome?Route, campsite, aire and overnight-stop checks for France in wildfire season Smoke near your stop?Smoke can travel beyond the fire front; check exposure before sleeping, driving or staying put Travelling in a few weeks?This map badges each city with its hottest day in the coming week; the month-ahead outlook shows weekly averages out to six weeks, so the numbers there read lower Booked travel already?Check cancellation, curtailment and known-event wording before relying on insurance

Planning a trip to France?

France wildfire travel adviceIs it safe to travel, what to check, and how official warnings affect plans Bordeaux fire travel adviceAirport, hotel-zone and road-disruption checks around Bordeaux Gironde campsitesCampsite, aire and evacuation checks around Arcachon and Cap Ferret Campervan route riskMotorhome, campsite, aire and rural-route checks for France in wildfire season Campsite evacuation checklistThe quick practical plan for tents, vans and touring pitches France roadtrip guideThe 14-chapter guide built specifically to help plan around 2026 wildfire risk

Maximum temperatures expected this week

Daily forecast maximums, Sun 16 Aug to Sat 22 Aug, sorted by each city's hottest forecast day. The hottest value in this table is 37 °C on Tue 18 Aug. Cities with an ember dot are on the wildfire arc; use these values alongside the fire markers and vigilance overlay.

City Sun16 AugMon17 AugTue18 AugWed19 AugThu20 AugFri21 AugSat22 Aug
Montpellier36°37°37°34°30°28°27°
Avignon36°35°34°35°27°28°28°
Perpignan35°35°35°33°29°29°29°
Marseille31°35°35°34°28°25°27°
Lyon33°31°31°34°25°25°24°
Nantes33°31°31°25°23°22°22°
Strasbourg32°26°22°22°22°24°22°
Paris31°29°27°24°25°22°22°
Toulouse30°31°31°30°22°25°28°
Clermont-Ferrand30°31°30°31°22°23°22°
Bordeaux31°30°31°29°25°24°23°
Nice31°29°30°30°27°29°28°
Limoges30°30°30°28°23°22°21°
Lille28°24°25°22°23°21°18°
cooler hotter · <28° to ≥38°

Generated 16 August 2026 from Open-Meteo forecast data.

More on France

France overviewThe current fire and heat picture, and what it means for a trip Month-ahead outlookWeekly average temperatures out to six weeks, with confidence falling off honestly Week by weekHow fire risk builds and eases across the season, region by region Travel disruptionRoads, rail, airports and campsites affected right now Official sourcesThe live-check toolkit — the services that are the authority in France
Sources: NASA FIRMS · Météo-France vigilance · Open-Meteo · préfecture and press reporting. Figures refreshed and fire and disruption reporting verified against official sources on 16 August 2026 at 10:23 UK time. Markers are commune centres / approximate zones, not fire perimeters.
Satellite and forecast figures refreshed 16 August 2026 at 10:23 UK time. Fire and disruption reporting verified against official sources the same day. Conditions change hourly during fires. National authorities are always right. In danger anywhere in the EU, call 112.

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