2023-08-20 06:54:00
This exceptional increase in heat is taken very seriously by the government. Elisabeth Borne notably called for vigilance.
By VD with AFP This episode, the hottest of the summer of 2023, is due to the installation above the country of a heat dome. (Illustrative photo). © VALLAURI Nicolas / MAXPPP / PHOTOPQR/LA PROVENCE/MAXPPP Published on 08/20/2023 at 06:54
The scorching temperatures will be particularly trying on Sunday in the 49 departments of France placed on orange alert by Météo France, thus exceeding 40°c in the Rhône valley where many motorists returning from vacation will pass. The orange alert concerns 49 departments in total, against 28 departments the day before. That is a large southern half going from the Bas-Rhin to the Gironde, with temperatures “generally reaching 35 to 38°C in the south of the country (…) and possibly exceeding 40°C in the lower Rhône valley “Said Météo France on Saturday afternoon.
These high temperatures are expected to continue “until the middle of next week, with a peak occurring between Monday and Wednesday depending on the region. Then, a drop in temperatures is expected from Thursday. All of this remains to be confirmed. This episode, the hottest of the summer of 2023, is due to the installation above the country of a heat dome. It is “a vast anticyclonic zone at any level of the atmosphere which traps the already hot air and heats it by compression, a bit like a bicycle pump”, explains Météo France.
Health prevention messages
In the direction of returns, Bison Futé classified the day of Sunday red in a large part of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region and orange in the rest of the country. It is green in the direction of the departures. On Saturday, a peak of 1,056 km of traffic jams was reached shortly after noon, before dropping to 280 km around 6 p.m.
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This heat stroke of exceptional intensity for the end of August had led Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to call for caution on Friday after having convened an interministerial crisis unit the day before. The authorities have since multiplied health prevention messages, especially in large cities. Additional marauders and devices to check in on fragile and isolated people have been put in place.
The municipalities have invited residents to get closer to “cool places”: swimming pools, libraries, fountains, air-conditioned parks or museums… In addition to the daily difficulties, the high temperatures exacerbate the problems of drought and several departments in the southern half announced new water restrictions this week.
Who says heat also says risk of fires: the Estérel and Tanneron massifs in the Alpes-Maritimes were placed in a state of risk of red-very severe forest fires for Saturday, as were several massifs in the Var. For its part, the EDF group has indicated that it plans to reduce the production of its nuclear power plants in Bugey (Ain) from Sunday and Golfech, near Agen, from Monday in order to respect the limits of thermal discharges.
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