The heat wave which affects France must be marked, Thursday, July 14, by strong heat “south of a Vendée-Strasbourg line”, according to Météo-France. The maximum reaches “37-38°C in the South-West and in the middle and lower Rhone Valley”. “Only the Mediterranean coast and the Atlantic coastal fringe remain below the 35°C mark thanks to the breezes”reports the weather service.
As a result, eleven departments have been placed on heat wave orange vigilance. These are Gironde (33), Lot-et-Garonne (47), Tarn-et-Garonne (82), Tarn (81), Haute-Garonne (31), Pyrénées-Orientales ( 66), Gard (30), Ardèche (07), Drôme (26), Vaucluse (84) and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04).
The #heat wave intensifies on Friday 07/15 in the south of France. 11 dpts in #vigilance orange… https://t.co/pLLkyAzXfk
In many places, the July 14 festivities have been adapted or even canceled due to the heat and the high risk of fire. Fireworks were banned. Until Monday evening, no pyrotechnic show, private or public, will be able to illuminate the night in the Landes, communicated Prefecture.
In Gironde, two forest fires that have been raging since Tuesday have burned 4,200 hectares. “At 1 p.m., the situation remains[ait] unfavorable »according to the prefecture, which specified that “nearly a thousand firefighters” were engaged. Winds expected in the afternoon, up to 40 kilometers per hour, could further complicate the task of firefighters.
Temperatures will remain “very high” on Saturday
According to Météo-France, overnight from Thursday to Friday, the minimum temperatures will be “close to 19 to 21°C in the southern half of the country, or even 22°C in large cities” and will go “up to 23-24°C in the interior of Languedoc-Roussillon”.
On Friday, it is expected that “the heat subsides a little north of a Bordeaux-Lyon line”more than “the maximums remain very high further south and intensify, with values close to 38°C to 40°C”.
On Saturday, the temperatures will remain “very high on the southern half and begins[ront] to go up gently on the northern half ». “The extension of high heat to the north is increasing[ra] Sunday and especially Monday.
According to Météo-France, heat waves will become “more frequent, earlier and later”causing summers “increasingly hot, where 35°C will be the norm”.
For scientists, the multiplication, intensification and lengthening of heat waves constitute an unequivocal marker of global warming.