From Millau in Aveyron to Dinard in Ille-et-Vilaine, via Cognac in Charente, nine municipalities broke their monthly temperature record and two others equaled it this Friday, announced Météo France.
The thermometer for example climbed to 37.3°C in Millau, beating the previous record of June 2019. In Carcassonne (Aude), the mercury rose to 40.4°C, against 39.8°C on June 21, 2003 35.5°C were recorded in Dinard, against 33.8°C in June 2019. Record also beaten in Cognac and its 38.9°C this afternoon, against 38.2°C on June 30, 1952.
The other municipalities having exceeded their records for the month of June, according to Météo France, are Narbonne (Aude), Saintes (Charente-Maritime), Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor), Montaut (Ariège), Quintenic (Côtes- of Armor).
The cities of Bergerac (Dordogne) and Martys (Aude) equaled their record of 38.2°C and 33.5°C respectively.
14 departments on red alert
The heat wave spread widely on Friday, now reaching almost all of France, and two additional departments were placed on red alert, or 14 in total in the southwestern third of the country. In total, 56 departments, from the Paris region to the German border as well as from Brittany to the Lyon region, are on orange alert.
Météo France warns that “Saturday afternoon, the heat will increase further on the South Aquitaine, Poitou-Charentes Vendée axis with therefore rising maximum temperatures”. “All-time highs” could still fall, according to the latest bulletin.