There are summers when even the air itself seems to press down. For several days now, Tunisia has been living under a heat that refuses to loosen its grip, from the coast to the interior regions.
According to the tracking bulletin from the National Institute of Meteorology (INM), high temperatures are expected to range between 45 and 49°C across most regions on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 July 2026, with a gap of 8 to 14 degrees above seasonal averages. A slight drop is expected from Wednesday the 22nd onward, without an immediate return to normal. While waiting for that relief, a few simple habits change everything: here is what the forecasts say, and how to get through these days without losing your strength.
What the forecasts say
The picture drawn by the INM, as reported by La Presse de Tunisie, leaves no doubt: the heat wave is holding, accompanied by the arrival of the sirocco. Highs reach 45 to 49°C in most regions, while staying between 40 and 44°C near the eastern coast — the sea acts as a buffer, without offering any real coolness.
This persistence has a simple explanation, according to Webdo: a mass of very hot air of Saharan origin is sitting over the country and blocking any real cooling. Readings from Friday 17 July give a sense of the scale of the event. According to the INM, cited by African Manager, Jemmal (Monastir) recorded 49.0°C, ahead of Medjez El Bab (48.0°C), Kondar (47.7°C), and Nasrallah (47.5°C). In the major cities, Tunis, Sousse, and Jendouba all shared the same reading of 46.4°C.
As for a return to bearable levels, the two available timelines agree on the essentials: it will take patience. The INM announces a slight drop from Wednesday the 22nd, while warning that the thermal excess will remain 6 to 12 degrees above normal through the end of the following week. Webdo places the clear improvement on Friday 24 July, with highs returning to around 31 to 33°C across the north and the coast.
Why this heat wave is especially draining
Not all heat waves are equal. What makes this one particularly exhausting is that it doesn't let up at night: Webdo points out that in the interior regions, nights too remain very hot. Yet it is precisely at night that the body releases accumulated heat and recovers — a mechanism that also affects, as we often forget, the quality of our sleep and our skin. When the thermometer refuses to drop, fatigue sets in and builds up, day after day.
Added to this is a very concrete everyday consequence: electricity demand is soaring. To preserve the stability of the national grid, the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) has had to resort to rolling blackouts in recent days, in several regions, reports Webdo. In other words: it's best not to base your entire anti-heat strategy on air conditioning alone.
A heat wave isn't fought head-on: it's got through by slowing the pace and looking out for one another.
The moves that truly protect you
None of these habits is spectacular; it's their combination that makes the difference:
- Drink regularly, without waiting to feel thirsty. The sensation of thirst comes late; having water within reach throughout the day is worth more than one big glass now and then. A resource whose management in Tunisia remains a real challenge.
- Shift your activities. Errands, housework, exercise, gardening: anything requiring effort should move to early morning or late in the day. The peak sun hours aren't negotiable.
- Close up in the morning, open up in the evening. Shutters and curtains drawn from the first hours of the day keep the night's coolness inside; air the home widely once the outside temperature finally drops.
- Lighten your meals. Water-rich fruit, salads, seasonal vegetables, dairy: the Tunisian summer table already does the job well. Heavy dishes and alcohol, on the other hand, add to fatigue.
- Cool down rather than freeze. A lukewarm shower, a damp cloth on the neck and wrists, feet in water: the body's temperature drops without the shock of ice-cold water.
- Never leave a child, an elderly person, or an animal in a car, even for a few minutes, even in the shade, even with the windows cracked open.
The people who need looking after
Authorities are calling for heightened care toward the elderly, young children, and those living with a chronic illness, reports Webdo. They are the ones whose bodies regulate temperature least well, and often the ones who complain the least.
Hence the most useful gesture of all, and the most Tunisian one there is: the phone call. Call a mother, a grandmother, a neighbour living alone, once in the morning and once at the end of the day. Ask if she's had something to drink, if the apartment is closed up, if she needs anything. Offer to stop by. In a heat wave, the watchfulness of those around us is worth every air conditioner — and it keeps working even when STEG cuts the power.
Finally, don't wait to raise the alarm: persistent headaches, dizziness, nausea, cramps, confusion, hot dry skin, or unusual fatigue are signals that call for getting the person somewhere cool, having them drink, and seeking medical advice.
