Heat wave: a new peak of heat expected this weekend

HEAT 2022. Short break this Thursday and Friday in the first heat wave of the season. But be careful, the temperatures are already starting to rise this weekend. Prepare to be hot! How long will this heat spike last? Will the summer of 2022 be scorching? What are the forecasts?

[Mis à jour le 12 mai 2022 à 14h04] Good news, the heat wave that started at the beginning of the week is pausing this Thursday and Friday to return this weekend and continue until the beginning of next week, with a very heavy and uncomfortable feeling according to the forecasters of The Weather Channel. This weekend, the temperatures felt will be much higher than the maximum temperatures expected. Take advantage of these two days of respite to cool down and ventilate your accommodation to refresh the indoor air!

If the followers of idleness and terraces in the sun are delighted with this first peak of heat, the farmers are worried on their side. With these high temperatures, the risk of drought increases, and several departments are placed on drought vigilance.
After periods of strong, even very strong heat, which have become more and more frequent between June and September in recent years in France, the summer of 2021 has served as an exception. The heat peak extended throughout the territory in mid-June, represented the only heat wave of the year and then gave way to a rather gloomy summer, the coolest and wettest since 2014. What scenario is expected for the summer 2022? Are heat waves to be feared? As a reminder, a heat wave is a period of high heat which must meet two conditions: the temperatures must be 5 degrees higher than normal for the season, day and night and this must last at least for 3 days and 3 nights. What do meteorologists predict for the coming summer? Here is everything you need to know about the weather forecast, gestures and tips for keeping the house cool, but also our advice for avoiding dehydration in the event of high temperatures and heat waves.

Climate variations, year after year, make weather forecasts difficult, but can we expect a warmer year in 2022 and the risk of a heat wave? Here is what La Chaîne Météo forecasters predict for the months of June, July and August:

• June 2022: this is the month that is likely to be the hottest in the summer in France, with high temperatures and thunderstorms expected.
• July 2022: this month should be similar to June with rather high temperatures and quite a few storms.
• August 2022: beware, the weather should be more humid, but still with higher temperatures of +0.5° to +1°C compared to seasonal norms.

Heat wave and heat wave are two different things. To speak of a heat wave, the temperatures must be 5 degrees higher than normal for the season, day and night, and this for at least 3 days and 3 nights. The heat wave temperature threshold therefore differs according to the departments and regions. Heat waves most often occur in France in July and August. We must be vigilant from the month of June. In 2019, the hot weather arrived earlier than expected, and France experienced an unprecedented heat wave at the end of June 2019. This episode affected almost all of France with very high temperatures during the day, which did not really drop at night.

You should know that Météo-France provides several levels of heat wave vigilance: level 1 (green) corresponds to a “seasonal watch”, level 2 (yellow) to a “heat warning” and it is level 3 (orange) which corresponds to the “heat wave alert”. Finally level 4 (red), the highest, determines “maximum mobilization”.

The heat wave plan was designed to set up a seasonal watch, prevent and act in the event of extreme heat waves and heat waves. This plan defines a total of 4 levels of alert, with for each of the measures to be put in place in order to limit the health effects and protect the most fragile people such as the elderly, infants, children, infants, pregnant women. .. The heat wave plan also makes it possible to identify vulnerable and isolated people. The 4 levels are:

• Level 1: seasonal watch (green vigilance card);
• Level 2: heat warning (yellow vigilance card);
• Level 3: heatwave alert (orange vigilance card);
• Level 4: maximum mobilization (red vigilance card).

Level 3 of the heat wave plan makes it possible in particular to put in place measures for the most vulnerable people, ie the elderly, people suffering from an illness and pregnant women. A telephone call center (3975) thus makes it possible to contact people in vulnerable situations who have registered beforehand or whose condition has been reported. For these people, specific refreshed rooms are also available between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. For everyone, refreshed rooms are freely accessible in some town halls at the same time slots. The Ministry of Solidarity and Health has also set up a national telephone platform at your disposal. In the event of high temperatures and a heat wave alert, you can reach 0 800 06 66 66 every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The call is free from a landline.

During periods of heat wave, to cope with high heat, and avoid discomfort and dehydration, the government provides the public with recommendations available on the website of the Ministry of Health. For example, it is recommended to drink water regularly without waiting to be thirsty and to avoid alcohol. It is also advisable to eat enough even if the appetite decreases in case of heat, and to favor fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables. To cool off, do not hesitate to wet your body, face and forearms. The Ministry of Health also invites you to spend several hours in a cool place such as the shopping center or the cinema and to avoid going out during the hottest hours of the day, but also not to do sports in the middle of the day. Everyone is asked to be vigilant and to remain attentive to the needs of the most vulnerable people. It is necessary to be careful when bathing to avoid any risk of hydrocution and drowning. During heat waves, the risk of drowning is high. The difference between the temperature of the body and that of the water can be very high in periods of strong heat and there is a risk of hydrocution.

Before investing in a air conditioner, a fan or an air cooler, a few simple gestures can already help you reduce the heat in your home and thus cope with high temperatures. By keeping the shutters closed during the day when it is hot and by opening the windows only at nightfall, you will suffer less from the heat. If you do not have a shutter, you can adopt blinds, knowing that external blinds are more effective than those installed inside. Also remember, if you have the possibility, to unplug as many electrical appliances as possible (computer, television or stereo system), they are a significant source of heat, which is nevertheless easy to control. Of course, avoid cooking in the oven during this period and limit the use of electric or vitro-ceramic hotplates which give off a lot of heat.
There are also some simple tips to put in place to refresh a room, such as the bedroom to sleep better at night. You can wet a large towel or sheets with ice water and then spread it out in front of the window. The evaporation of the water should lower the temperature of the room. If, despite all your efforts, you still cannot stand the current temperatures, do not hesitate to invest in a fan. Even if it brews lukewarm, even hot air, it provides a significant feeling of freshness during heat waves. For cooler air, simply cover the unit with a damp towel or place a bottle of frozen water right in front of it. If you really can’t stand being hot, then you can step up a gear by investing in a air freshenereven in an air conditioner.

As a reminder, France experienced two heat waves in the summer of 2019, starting in June, and several cities broke temperature records. If last year’s heat wave did not reach the intensity of those of 2019, with a record 46°C, nor the length of the historic heat wave of 2003, this heat wave should still reach the top 5. of the most severe that France will have known, with tropical nights, the 40°C mark once again crossed on many weather stations or series of several very hot consecutive days for certain cities, even north of the Loire. In 2019, France experienced a very hot summer with two heat waves on the clock. Maximum temperature records have been exceeded in a large part of France. According to data from Météo-France, more than 50 cities have recorded a new record since July 25, 2019. At the end of June, for example, the mercury reached peaks and several cities had already exceeded their maximum temperature record:

• 45.8 degrees were recorded in Gallargues-le-Montueux
• In Montpellier, the thermometer showed 42.5 degrees, 5 degrees higher than its former absolute record
• The thermometer showed 44.3 degrees in Carpentras

In July 2019, it was mainly the cities in the west, north and east of France that saw their records shattered. For example, Météo-France has recorded the following records:

• 42.6 degrees in Paris
• 41.5 degrees in Lille
• 41.2 degrees in Bordeaux
• 41.3 degrees in Dunkirk
• 41 degrees in Angers
• 40.1 degrees in Reims
• 38.9 degrees in Strasbourg