The south-west of France will record summer temperatures in the coming days due to the major heat wave that will affect Spain. Are these additional 8 to 10°C a harbinger of a scorching summer?
The mercury will get carried away in the next few days. As Spain prepares to suffocate under a heat wave expected from Wednesday April 26 and at least until Friday April 28 according to forecasts from Aemet, the national meteorological agency, can France also be plagued? in scorching temperatures? It is certain that the mass of hot air which arrives from the Maghreb and will cover Spain will not stop at the natural border of the Pyrenees. The south of France should experience a rise in temperatures between Thursday and Friday with peaks of 28°C or even up to 30°C at the foot of the mountain range, according to forecasts from The Weather Channel and of Meteo Francei.e. 8 to 10°C above the normal expected in April.
However, these very summery temperatures should only concern specific regions, mainly in the southwest. “More generally, highs of 24 to 28°C will probably be frequently observed” around the Mediterranean, tempers the Météo France institute. As for the northern half of France, it should benefit from milder temperatures but still far from the summer heat.
France still spared by the heat wave
Heat waves are not unusual in the south of France but it is clear that this one is “exceptional” by its intensity and its precocity underlines Météo France. Rarely has a month of April ended with temperatures equivalent to those observed in June. Still, the meteorological phenomenon “does not mean a scorching summer in France” insists La Chaîne Météo. The heat wave will also be quickly thwarted by a wind from the North Atlantic which will cool the thermometer in France and perhaps give rise to thunderstorms over the border and northern Spain.
“Whether [cet été] the prevailing winds come from the Atlantic, this can protect us from overheating. In addition, if the summer is stormy, as our seasonal forecasts suggest, the rains could help maintain relative soil humidity and attenuate heat waves”, adds the Weather Channel. But even these forecasts do not yet allow to rule with certainty on a possible heat wave during the summer of 2023.