© picture alliance / NurPhoto | Samuel Boivin
France experienced its hottest day ever on Wednesday: the average temperature over the entire day was a whopping 30°C.
Since 1947, Météo-France, the French national weather service, has been calculating the national heat index, which is an average of the day and night temperatures measured at 30 weather stations spread across France. On Tuesday, this index reached a record high of 29.9 °C. On Wednesday, it got even slightly warmer, with an average of 30°C recorded. The previous record of 29.4°C dated back to the heat waves of August 2003 and July 2019.
According to Météo-France, numerous all-time records were broken on Wednesday in the western part of the country, including 43.7°C in Fontenay (Vendée), 42.2°C in Nantes, 42°C in Vannes, 41.8°C in Le Mans, as well as 38.7 C in Quimper, 39.8 °C in Lorient, and 41.4°C in Tours.
According to Météo-France’s measurements, temperatures were still high in many regions at 5 a.m. on Thursday, “often between 20 and 27°C in the departments where a code red heat wave warning is in effect.” For example, 27°C was recorded in Paris-Montsouris and 27.5°C in Bordeaux-Mérignac.
The French public can expect another “sweltering” day on Thursday, but temperatures are expected to gradually drop starting Friday.
Picture: © picture alliance / NurPhoto | Samuel Boivin