The heat broke records on Saturday, July 20. The 40°C mark was crossed for the first time this year in France.
Summer is here, and the heat is reaching record levels for this year. On Saturday, July 20, the symbolic threshold of 40°C was reached in the Pyrénées-Orientales, reaching 40.8°C in the town of Céret, according to Meteo France. Other regions experienced high temperatures, and sometimes even stifling ones due to the humidity caused by the storms that crossed the territory from the Ardennes to the Massif Central. The south of France was also marked by very high mercury at the start of the weekend, with temperatures reaching 39.9°C in Cadenet, in the Vaucluse, or 38°C in the Var.
The record for the hottest day of the year in the country was broken on Friday 19th, with a national average of 24.7°C. Heat that was expected by the French in the northern half of the country, who experienced particularly low temperatures for several weeks, while the southern half was sunny. It should be noted, however, that the storms that crossed part of France during the night from Saturday to Sunday caused temperatures to drop very quickly. They should rise again in the coming days, but without always reaching the recent records.
A hotter than normal summer
According to Météo-France, the months of July and August will be particularly hot this year. “The scenario of a quarter warmer than normal is the most likely for France” and “this probability is more marked for the Mediterranean regions”, informs the weather forecasting body.
These weather conditions are risky for the most vulnerable people, but also for the environment. High temperatures cause droughts, which can lead to fires or the soil becoming impermeable, making it unable to absorb rainwater. Heavy summer rainfall is becoming more and more pronounced and this can cause damage, such as that affecting Haute-Marne.