©Benjamin Kubitza via Unsplash
A code orange heat warning has been in effect since Saturday in the French departments of Hérault and Pyrénées-Orientales, and on Sunday, the departments of Ardèche, Aude, Drôme, Gard, and Vaucluse will also be added to the list. France is bracing for a new heat wave.
In these seven departments, temperatures will rise to between 35°C and 37°C on Sunday, with peaks reaching as high as 40°C, according to the French weather service Météo-France. The weather service had already forecast temperatures above 30°C for most of France on Saturday, with the exception of the departments near the English Channel coast.
“On Monday, July 6, temperatures will rise further and the heat will spread across the country, with temperatures remaining significantly above normal seasonal values,” Météo-France added.
With higher temperatures and strong winds in the south, the risk of wildfires in France is increasing.
In June, average temperatures in France reached record highs, including the warmest nights ever recorded in the country. The number of deaths rose by nearly 30% in France and by 62% in the Paris region alone during the week of June 22, the peak of the exceptional heat wave that hit the country, the French Public Health Agency announced on Friday.
Illustration picture: © Benjamin Kubitza via Unsplash